


Written in the Stars

by iAltoSax



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Friendship, Multi, Other, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 213,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25117885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iAltoSax/pseuds/iAltoSax
Summary: SoulMarks are overrated, so people have said. In this age everyone just considered it a tattoo of a person's name and nothing more, but not me. I was a romantic. I wanted to find the person that would truly make me happy, but would they want me when they find out my secret? While others only ever had one name at a time, I was born with two. Can I still be loved? Will my SoulMates want me when they find out?
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Carol Marcus, Khan Noonien Singh/Original Female Character(s), Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Original Female Character(s), Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Original Female Character(s)/Khan Noonien Singh, Spock/Nyota Uhura
Comments: 24
Kudos: 77





	1. This is My Story

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm new to AOE so forgive me if I do some stuff wrong, I have to get used to how this site is set up. I have written my works on fanfiction and wattpad, but I thought I should give other sites a try and get my work more out there. This is a SoulMate AU and a Leonard x OC x Khan story!
> 
> Disclaimer - I do not own Star Trek. All rights belong to Gene Roddenberry (TOS references) and JJ Abrams (Movie references). I only own my OC.

What are soulmates? By definition: a soulmate is a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner.

Since the beginning of time when a child is born, they are born with a name tattooed on their body. That name was said to lead them to a specific person they are destined to be with for the rest of their lives. The only person that would and could truly make them happy and complete.

Each name on every person had their own unique features: every name was written in their own fonts, most were colored and some even had a little tiny image incorporated into the name, possibly something meaningful related to their soulmate. Almost like a tiny description, a guide on how to find their soulmate when they get older. Just like snowflakes, every name was special and unique in their own way. No two were ever alike.

Sometimes, there were incidents that a soulmate would die. The name on the person's body would bleed red and very rarely would another name show. There were some cases that a person found another name on them after their soulmate had passed on, but the thought of giving themselves to someone else kept them from loving another.

But that was then, now people didn't care much for the name written on their body. They would try and make it work with the very first person they found interesting, and if it didn't work out they would move on. Some even went their whole lives never meeting their soulmate, never bothered to search for them. That was the time I was living in. Children would fantasize about the names on their body when they were little, and slowly as they got older, grew out of the phase, it became just that...a fantasy.

I remember every child being excited during the school year. Everyone showing off their tattoos. Gloating about how pretty their marks were, how they couldn't wait to meet their special someone, making plans for what would happen when they meet them, etc. I wanted to be like the other children, gloating about my mark and how amazing I thought it was, but my parents told me to always keep it hidden.

I didn't understand why, I was simply a child then. So, I showed my mark to my best friend at the time and that was when I learned the harsh reality.

What I thought would be met by amazement and excitement, I was judged and bullied. The kids would talk behind my back, the teachers and parents of my classmates would talk in front of me as if I wasn't around...as if I didn't understand. My parents were angry at me, scolded me physically and mentally until it was jogged into my head to be ashamed of my marks.

Because while others only ever had one name...I had two.

Two unique, beautiful names that I loved so much and not one of them had bled. Meaning both were alive and well. Soon, these names that I held so dearly became scars I had wished to erase.

_This is the story of how I went from being so alone in the universe to being loved by two amazing people I've ever met in existence. And it all started...when I wished to touch the stars._


	2. Who is Allyson DeLuca

"Miss DeLuca" A stoic voice called as I heard a knock on my office door.

"Mister Spock." I greeted as soon as my door opened, the Vulcan walking in with a stack of papers in his hands along with two datapads. "What can I help you with today?"

"Grading." Spock said as he came further into my office, sitting across from me.

"Odd that you would ask for my help." I said with a smile. "But who am I to deny such good company."

"Sarcasm." Spock pointed out as he took out the first paper.

"Any company is good company." I chuckled. "I find being alone in my office quite boring."

Spock didn't say a word as he went about his business, there didn't need to be any words exchanged between us for this was our usual routine. When there were times Spock would become annoyed by something he'd come to my office and simply grade paperwork from other cadets. And vice versa, when I found my office lonely I'd find him and debate about anything and everything. He didn't physically need to tell me what was on his mind, I simply knew. It was a friendship we created with our time in the academy, a friendship that didn't need excessive talking.

* * *

_"May I sit here?" I had asked during my first days back in the academy._

_A boy, possibly a few years older than me, with pointed ears looked up to me with indifference, his- eyebrow raised before nodding to the seat beside him._

_Xenolinguistics. This was the class I didn't necessarily need, but something I was interested in and one that I had hoped would help me in the long run._

_"Thank you." I bowed as I sat and took out my datapad. Class had yet to begin so I turned to the boy beside me and introduced myself. "Allyson DeLuca. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_"Spock." The boy greeted before going back to ignoring me._

_'Eh...what did I expect.' I thought as I buried myself into my datapad, reading the program our instructor had sent to us. I was close to finishing and being well acquainted with the lesson plans when I felt a pair of eyes staring at me._

_I turned slightly to see Spock was looking at me with a curious gaze, though his expression didn't show it._

_"I wanted to come prepared." I stated simply._

_"By reading ahead?" Spock said as I nodded._

_"I just need the instructor to go over a few of the things I didn't understand." I said as I moved my datapad over so Spock could see. I had highlighted certain areas in the lesson plan and made little notes on the side to pay attention to should the instructor go over them. And if they didn't I would ask in private._

_"Fascinating…" Spock hummed as he swiped up to see more highlights and in depth notes on the side. "If you don't mind me asking, what area would you be majoring in?"_

_"I...actually I have no major. I simply study to be decent if not proficient in all areas that are needed on a starship." I said nervously. "I wanted to be as useful as I can be so that if there ever comes a need, I'd be able to fill in the needed positions."_

_"What have you taken so far?" Spock asked._

_"Early Starfleet History, Earth History, Xenobiology, Communication, Navigation, Basic Warp Design and Basic hand-to-hand combat. I just finished Advanced Tactical Training and Advanced Navigation last semester. I'm currently working on my Engineering and Medical Science. I'll probably keep that going for a year or so, just to get myself well acquainted with all the little details." I said with a smile. "I'm curious about Botany and Biochemistry...but I'm not sure just yet."_

_"Such an odd thing to do." Spock commented. "What about Leadership."_

_"I don't plan to take command of a starship as a Captain." I shook my head. "I'd be a terrible person to command a fleet. I don't even think people would respect me enough to listen to my command."_

_"Free time?" Spock was actually curious._

_"Not much fun having free time if I don't have any friends to enjoy it with." I said honestly. "Besides, gotta make use of this photographic memory somehow. Why not learn everything I need to learn to better my future. I can have fun when I'm older."_

_"Hmm…" Spock said as he started tapping on his own datapad. Before I knew it there was a ping on my own. I took it and saw it was an email from an address I didn't recognize. "Should you ever need any assistance, or inquire what course you should take next. I'd be happy to oblige."_

_"Happy?" I asked my own brow mimicking his own. "Vulcans can feel such emotion?"_

_"So you knew I was Vulcan." Spock said._

_"I deduced." I smiled._

_"I am half Vulcan." Spock said as he tapped away at his pad. "My mother, human."_

_"I'll be sure to seek your advice should I need it then." I said as I continued my reading. "Thank you Mister Spock."_

_"You are most welcome Miss DeLuca."_

* * *

It was an odd start to a friendship. We were people of knowledge, ones who seek out to broaden our horizon. We had many classes together, thanks to Spock's recommendation, and soon the two of us became one of the academy's most distinguished graduates. He became an instructor while I continued my studies, but in a different field. I wanted to study more about SoulMarks, and it's affects toward individuals. There seemed to be so much more we didn't understand. And every so often I would help Spock as an instructor since I was more than qualified to do so.

"How are your studies coming along?" Spock suddenly asked.

"It's...coming." I shrugged. "I'm starting to see that maybe SoulMarks go deeper than just physical identification."

"How so?" Spock asked.

"There's a possibility that we take on the characteristics of our intended SoulMate." I said in awe. "I haven't fully tested anything, but from observation it looks as if there are some truths to it. I have found some willing subjects that have found each other early on who also wanted to know more about their marks. And in each person there's some characteristic that they took from their partner."

"Interesting." Spock said. "What do you deduce about mine?"

"I don't know yours, so I can't give you an answer." I said honestly. "But...let's say for example your intended was human. That would explain your sudden human emotions coming through more prominently."

"I would say that is more from my human mother." Spock said.

"Yes, but Vulcans train to control their emotions, to suppress it." I said. "But you? You suppress it to an extent, but I do see it coming out more around me than around the cadets."

"Then what would my intended take from me?" Spock asked.

"Your sass?" I joked.

"Funny." Spock said.

"Passion." I shrugged. "They'll probably show more human emotions than normal since you want to suppress them. I'm not sure Spock, it's a simple theory. They're simply meant to complete you."

"If you find out more, I do hope you will tell me." Spock commented.

"You'll be the first one I tell." I said. "How's the testing going?"

"Dreadful." Spock said. "A Cadet Kirk seems to find some form of joy taking my test."

"Is he taking it again?" I asked curiously. "Must have a death wish."

"A fool." Spock said.

"God help whoever his SoulMate is." I commented. "He always keeps flirting with me whenever I see him."

"Strange, thought his charm worked on everyone." Spock said.

"Works on most." I said as I placed my datapad down. "Not on this girl, I'm more classy."

"Oh?" Spock quirked.

"Well...my mark shows a classy writing, I can only assume that's what I'm into." I laughed before massaging my forehead. "I need some food and a good drink. Care to join me Mister Spock?"

"There is more for me to do here." Spock replied.

"I'll bring you back something from the cafeteria." I called back as I closed the door of my office, my destination clear as I made my way to where I knew the person I was looking for would be.

"Ah!" A voice called out as soon as I entered the cafeteria, finding me before I could find them. "Good evening professor!"

"Kirk." I said as I slid on the bench to sit across from the blonde man before whispering harshly so only we could hear. "Are you insane!"

"Well, hello to you too." Kirk mumbled as he continued to eat.

"A colleague of mine just informed me that you were going to take the test again." I clicked my tongue. "Kirk, are you out of your mind?"

"So I'm taking the test, what's the big deal?" Jim nonchalantly waved me off. "There's nothing to worry about Ally."

"Here I'd appreciate it if you call me Professor or Commander DeLuca." I said. "Kirk, as one of your instructors, I advise you to rethink taking the test again. No one has passed it!"

"Ally, there's nothing to worry about!" Jim smiled as he reached over and patted my shoulder. "I'll beat the test, become Captain."

"And if you fail?" I asked.

"Then I try again." Jim shrugged causing me to sigh.

"You're too carefree about this Jim…" I said with a glare and again Jim could only wink.

"That's why I'm your favorite student." Jim said before another person scoffed.

"I can name several who I'd consider my favorite student." I said as someone slid beside Jim. "You aren't on that list."

"Ouch," The new person commented. "what a blow to your ego."

"Eh, my ego can take a blow or two." Jim said as he turned to smile at the new person. "Nice of you to join me. Thought I'd be eating by myself again."

"Just finished class." The new addition said. This guy was dressed in the typical red attire worn by starfleet cadets. His hair was well kept, not a hair out of place. His hazel eyes turned to me and a smile grew on his face.

"Have we met before?" The man asked as he glanced at my black starfleet uniform.

"Ah sorry." Jim said as he motioned from the new man to me. "Bones, meet Ally. Ally? Bones."

"Bones?" I asked with curiosity and slight shock before glaring at Jim at having used an informal introduction.

"Leonard McCoy, ma'am." Leonard introduced as he reached his hand out to shake mine. "Jim's been calling me Bones since we first met. An inside joke he calls it."

"Nice to meet you." I said as I shook his hand. "Commander Allyson DeLuca. We've probably walked past each other while I was filling in for a colleague."

"No, I think I would remember someone as beautiful as you." Leonard smirked and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well aren't you a charmer." I shook my head. "Anyway, I need to head back to my office. Kirk please rethink taking the Kobayashi Maru."

"He won't listen." Leonard said as he scoffed at Jim. "Once he's put his mind to something, there's no turning back. Even if he can't win."

I shook my head before getting up to leave, but not before nodding to Leonard.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you McCoy, though I do hope this isn't the last." I smiled before turning to grab some food for Spock and myself.

* * *

It's been a few weeks since I last spoke to Jim and Leonard, I knew the date of Jim's test and didn't bother to go. I already knew what the result would be without having to watch and Spock walking into my office once more, a sigh escaping his lips only supported my prediction.

"As predicted." Spock said as he came to sit in his usual spot. "Cadet Kirk failed the Kobayashi Maru once again."

"Did he at least last longer than his previous run?" I asked curiously.

"Three minutes longer than his last." Spock said.

"I did warn the idiot…" I sighed.

"You seem to be close to the cadet." Spock assessed.

"Close?" I shook my head. "I was assigned to train with him in hand-to-hand combat and I couldn't get rid of him since. I went to find him after you told me about his second attempt to warn him not to take the test...even if it was going to fall on deaf ears."

Spock only stared at me for a couple seconds before he looked as if he wanted to say something else to me.

"Speak your mind Spock." I urged. "We've been friends and colleagues for a long time, I'd like to think that we can talk about anything without judgement."

"It would seem, I have met my...SoulMate." Spock said to which I immediately lit up in excitement.

"Oh?" I smiled at my friend. "Would you like to tell me who?"

Spock looked to be contemplating before he stood and slightly lifted his shirt exposing everything from his chest down. And there, on his right side just below where his lungs would be was a name in beautiful cursive.

"Interesting…" I said as I got up for a closer inspection. "beautifully written too, exotic even…there's a slight fire red tinge when it catches the light…" I placed a hand under my chin in thought. "Nyota...where have I heard that name before."

"Cadet Nyota Uhura." Spock said as he lowered his shirt. "She took my course in Xenolinguistics, excelling exponentially in communications."

"I remember her." I said with a smile. "Very bright, and beautiful."

"I came across her name when I was looking over who had signed up for my course. At first I thought nothing of it until…" Spock looked unsure how to proceed.

"Have you seen your name?" I asked. "If you're concerned about you being a professor and her a student, she hasn't been your student in years. And besides, whatever is said in our office...stays here didn't we establish that?"

"I've seen my name." Spock said. "As did she."

"That's great Spock." I said with a smile. "I'm excited for you!"

"I'm hoping you could help me in this...area." Spock said looking for the first time unsure. "Since you are studying such a phenomena."

"Any help you need I'm willing to give." I said. "So long as you tell me if there's something new that develops that I have not come across."

"Of course." Spock agreed before sighing. "I also wanted to inform you, Cadet Kirk is scheduled to take the test again."

I groaned. 'The idiot!'

"I would like for you to be there." Spock said. "Maybe after his third attempt you can talk him out of wasting our time…"

"Be nice Spock." I scolded lightly.

"I am simply stating the obvious." Spock said. "Will you join me in the observation room? Eyes like yours could be beneficial to my test."

"If the other instructors agree then I see no problem with me being there." I shrugged to which Spock nodded in understanding.

"Ally!" I heard my name being called. The voice got louder as I saw through my glossy window a figure quickly approaching. "Ally!"

My office door swung open bringing Spock's attention to the door, no knock...no waiting for my summons, just waltzing in like it was their own dorm room. The person strutted in with a smile before stopping when he realized I was with company.

"Jim!" Another voice called as I saw Leonard pull up behind Jim. "You can't just barge into a professor's office unannounced!"

"Yeah…" Jim drawled out as he glanced between Spock and myself.

I glared at Jim from behind Spock. Clearly pissed and irritated at having been interrupted.

Spock cleared his throat, stood up and adjusted his uniform before turning back to me.

"I shall return once you've finished here." Spock said as he went to leave. "Gentlemen."

"Cadet McCoy, please close the door." I ordered as I sat back into my chair waiting for my office door to close to give us some privacy. "The both of you. Sit."

Leonard obliged to my order while Jim looked at the door confused.

"Are you and he-" Jim started to say.

"Sit Cadet Kirk." I growled, and that caught his attention. I rarely called him that, and when I did? He knew to listen, last time he didn't I pinned him down on his stomach on the sparring mat.

"Jim…you can't just barge into my office!" I yelled as soon as the two were comfortable, or as comfortable as they could be with me yelling at them. "I could've been talking about important work! I could've been meeting with another student!"

"Talking…" Jim commented as I trained my eyes at him.

"I'm glad you can joke." I scoffed. "Spock is a great friend and colleague of mine. We were discussing something important to my study."

"Commander DeLuca, we're very sorry about barging in unannounced." Leonard said, trying to calm my rage as he nudged Jim on the side. "Aren't we Jim?"

"Yes, very sorry." Jim said before leaning forward. "Back to what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Very sorry indeed…" I scoffed. "What do you need to talk to me about that was so urgent?"

"I'm taking the test again." Jim said

"So I've heard…" I mumbled.

"I want you to be there." Jim said.

"I've already been asked to be in attendance." I said before relaxing. "Jim, what will make this time any different from the last two? No one goes back once they've failed it the first time! Let alone a second..."

"He doesn't listen, Commander. I've told him-"

"Leonard, we're in my office. Feel free to drop formalities." I smiled at Leonard. "Allyson or Ally is fine, since I'm assuming we'll be seeing much more of each other with Jim here as a common friend."

"Ally, as I've said he doesn't listen." Leonard said, a little uncomfortable dropping such a title and being formal with a high officer. "Jim, listen to reason. Even Ally is warning you against it."

"Doesn't it bother you that no one has passed the test?" Jim asked.

"It's not the point to pass it, Jim." I sighed. "It is a test to see if a Captain can remain in control."

"And I will remain in control along with beating the test!" Jim smiled. "Haven't you ever wished to pass such an impossible test? You've taken so many courses, you must know something!"

"I have no intention to be a captain." I sighed. "The thought of trying gives me anxiety…I'm fine with the knowledge I have Jim."

"I want to do the impossible." Jim proclaimed. "And I want you there to watch me make history."

"Doesn't it get exhausting dealing with him?" I commented as I looked to Leonard.

"All the time…" Leonard scoffed. "he's asked me to be there as well."

"Jim, I've already agreed to being there. I'll be in the observation deck along with the other instructors." I informed Jim. "I can't do much else, and I've also been asked that should you fail that I be there to talk you out of retaking the test again."

"Not a chance." Jim smiled.

"Yes, I figured." I smiled. "Well, good luck Jim."

"Will do, professor." Jim said before clapping Leonard on the back. "See you around, got some studying to do."

Jim jumped to his feet and left my office...again without being dismissed leaving Leonard and myself alone.

"Study, my ass…" Leonard and myself muttered under our breath at the same time before the two of us smiled.

"Care for a drink?" I asked as I got up.

"Pretty sure drinks aren't allowed during work." Leonard chuckled.

"I'm not technically working." I said as I reached into one of the drawers in my desk. "I'm off the clock, been off the clock since Jim came into my office."

"Then who am I to decline such an offer." Leonard smiled as I bought out a bottle of whiskey. Leonard chuckled at seeing my choice in drink. "A woman after my own heart."

"Don't report me." I laughed as I poured the two of us a glass. "Sadly though, they just go right through me."

"Lucky you." Leonard said as he took his glass. "So tell me, how'd you meet Jim?"

* * *

_"Hello everyone, my name is Allyson DeLuca. I'll be your instructor for your Basic hand-to-hand combat." I greeted everyone._

_Mumbles of disbelief echoed around the gym as new and wide eyed cadets stared back at me._

_"To hurry along with the course I will answer the questions I'm sure are already forming in your heads. Yes, I'm quite young. I entered the academy at a young age. Yes, I am qualified to be teaching you in this subject, if not overly qualified. Should you have a problem having me as your instructor well...the doors over there." I said as I pointed to the exit. "Here, gender means nothing, your race and where you come from doesn't make you better than your peers. Sure, some are born superior than most, but if you can't use it...then what's the point? Here, under Starfleet, we stand as equals, am I clear?"_

_No one responded, they all stood at attention simply taking my words in._

_"Good." I smiled. "Then let's get down to basics shall we?"_

_My course lasted for three hours, five days a week. We went over the basics, some getting more advanced techniques if I deemed they were worthy of learning them, but there was one individual who seemed to want my undivided attention, commanded my undivided attention._

_"Kirk…" I sighed as I watched him fall flat in the practice mat. "Kirk...these are the basics and you're failing."_

_"Well maybe I need some individual guidance." Kirk sighed. "I just can't seem to get this right…"_

_"I can't just focus on one cadet during class hours." I said with a glare. "See me after class."_

_I looked at the watch on my wrist as the signal for the ending of class buzzed. I dismissed everyone for the weekend and everyone had left. Excluding Kirk who looked to be speaking to someone before the mysterious person left._

_"So, Professor." Kirk smiled. "Let's get to tutoring."_

_"You know Cadet Kirk, I found something very interesting with your technique." I smiled as I got into the basic sparring position with Kirk mimicking me._

_"Oh? And what is that?" Kirk said as the two of us circled each other, waiting for the other to strike._

_"You get distracted by a pretty face." I said, closing the distance between us as I threw the first punch, Kirk dodging it at the last minute. "You react slowly because you are distracted." Expecting Kirk to dodge I kicked out with the leg opposite from my punch, it making contact with Kirk's legs causing him to stagger. His body landed on the ground with a loud thud, he lay on his stomach stunned as I lightly sat on his back to pin him down. "And I also spoke to Captain Pike, he had asked me why you were failing my class. When I told him the problem he informed me that you were pretty good at hand-to-hand combat."_

_"Damn…" I heard Kirk mutter under his breath._

_"Cadet Kirk, with your stats I expected you to be the top of my class and yet you've intentionally failed every spar while just barely passing." I sighed as I looked down at Kirk. "Care to explain your reasoning?"_

_"If…" Kirk huffed beneath me. "if you get off I'll explain everything."_

_I got off of Kirk and stood as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head as he looked up at me with a sheepish smile._

_"Caught red handed huh?" Kirk laughed. "You see, I just thought about getting some one on one time with you ma'am."_

_"Why?" I asked as I folded my arms over my chest._

_"W-well, you're a very beautiful woman?" Kirk looked confused as to why I wasn't getting the bigger picture. "I'm sure every Cadet wishes to have one on one time with you."_

_"I'm sorry Kirk, I don't-" I stopped, my eyes widening before looking back at Kirk who simply winked. I couldn't help but laugh. "What an absurd thing to want!"_

_Of course I would laugh, I never once thought of myself in the category of 'beautiful'. I never glanced at one man before with any intention, and to have someone so blatantly tell me something I've been 'oblivious' to caused me well...I just had to laugh._

_"I'm sorry Kirk…I just-" I wiped the corner of my eyes. "I didn't expect such an answer. And your flirtatious implication and wanting to get closer to me caught me off guard."_

_Kirk looked deflated, and I felt bad...I really did so I had to quickly explain myself._

_"I'm sorry Kirk, I'm not laughing at you or your attempt. Just being called beautiful and that more than you think so well? It's kind of a shock." I smiled. "And as flattered as I am for the lovely comment, I'd have to decline due to, first and foremost, professionalism and personal reasons."_

_"No one's called you beautiful before?" Kirk scoffed. "I don't believe that."_

_I laughed before reaching down and helping Kirk to his feet._

_"Kirk, you seem like a really nice guy, but you're just not for me." I said apologetically. "I don't have your name I'm afraid."_

_"Wow, you're one of those people who follow the mark?" Kirk smiled. "That's sweet."_

_"Yeah, well." I shrugged. "Call me an old fashioned romantic."_

_I heard Kirk mutter about knowing someone similar before smiling._

_"I can keep trying though." Kirk winked as he started to leave. "See you tomorrow Ally!"_

_'Ally?!' I balked, caught off guard at being given a nickname. "I'm not getting rid of you am I?"_

_"Nope!" Kirk said as he did a little twirl, smiling at me before strutting away. "And I won't stop calling you beautiful, beautiful!"_

* * *

"I do remember you!" Leonard said with a smile. "I never took your Basic hand-to-hand combat, wish I did though. Jim was saying he was staying after class for tutoring, after he was boasting that he had a very stunning instructor and that it was the first time he was put in his place." Leonard scoffed. "God I wish I was there to see that."

"Didn't dampen his mood though." I chuckled. "Seemed more than happy to be put in his place."

"Well…" Leonard shrugged his shoulder. "For you maybe he was happy."

"Let's have a toast." I said with a smile. "To...new friends?"

"New friends." Leonard agreed, clinking his glass with mine. The both of us knocking back and drinking our shot. Leonard moaned at the taste once he placed his glass down.

"A great escape from the stress of tests and work huh?" I said.

"I'll say." Leonard said before he looked at my clock on the wall. "Well Miss Ally, thank you for the drink, but I shouldn't keep you long." Leonard said as he stood up with myself following.

"Have a pleasant day McCoy." I said, reverting back to formalities as I went to open the door for Leonard before he bowed his head. "And I hope this visit isn't a one time thing."

"If I need help with anything I'll be sure to seek you out Professor DeLuca." Leonard said. "And, with Jim around you'll be seeing me around more, now that I know about his pretty little friend he's kept a secret from me."


	3. A Jack-of-all-Trades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wasn't really sure the exact date of Leonard McCoy's birth, they only listed the stardate so I just made it DeForest Kelley's date of birth: January 20. (Unless there is a date of birth and I just couldn't find it).

"Hey!" Jim called as he barged into my office once more.

"Thanks for knocking Jim." I mocked, with my back toward my door. "Please come in."

"Yeah yeah, anyway." Jim said as he sat in the chair across from me. "We're going drinking, you're coming with us."

"Can't, I'm busy." I said.

"No, you're not." Jim said with a smug smirk. "I've checked and you don't have classes today."

"I do have other responsibilities besides being an instructor." I countered.

"And you can take a break from that." Jim smirked. "Come on Ally, live a little! I'm not leaving till you say 'yes'."

"Who's 'we'?" I sighed as I turned to look at Jim.

"Me and Bones." Jim said with a knowing smile. "Don't know what you did, but now the guy doesn't want me to be alone with you."

"Because you cause me unnecessary stress…" I said though Jim knew I was joking. "Fine, I'll go! Now leave me so I can do my work."

"Tonight, 7 o'clock. Bones and myself will pick you up." Jim said.

"You don't know where my dorm is!" I called.

"Yeah I do!" Jim countered back. "A girl I know has a room right across from you!"

"I hate you! You're such a creep!" I laughed, watching as my door closed before Jim's hand slipped in to hold it open, sticking his head back into my office.

"I find that highly offensive." Jim commented before leaving. "Love you too!"

* * *

**Knock knock**

"Come in!" I called as I adjusted my uniform. "Doors open!"

"Sorry to intrude." Leonard said as I heard two sets of feet venture into my room. "How lucky, you have this room all to yourself?"

"Perks of being a professor." I smiled as I walked out of the bathroom. "I'm ready to go."

"Woah woah," Jim said as he held out a hand to stop me from leaving. "you're not going out like that are you?"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked in confusion as I looked down at my starfleet uniform.

"Dress code is casual." Jim stated. "And that? Is not casual, it looks like you're going to a meeting!"

"I didn't see anything wrong with it…" I mumbled as I looked at both Leonard and Jim before feeling myself blush just a bit. "I suppose I am...out of place with you two."

"We can wait." Jim smiled as he made himself comfortable on my bed.

"You're way too comfortable around me." I commented as I went to my closet, taking out a black long sleeved dress that stopped mid thigh with a tied stand collar. I had it in my closet for special occasions. "I suppose this would work…"

I ran to my bathroom to change, grabbing a simple black clutch and a pair of black closed toe platform high heels with a single ankle strap and two straps that crossed over the top surface.

"As for my hair…" I looked in the mirror, undoing the braid I had put it in. I brushed it out and let it loose, parting it over to the side before rushing out the bathroom. "Does this match dress code?"

Jim and Leonard looked up and I saw Leonard's eyes widen as Jim's smile grew even more.

"More than okay." Jim commented as he jumped to his feet. "Let's go! We're going to be late."

Jim led the way as I walked up to Leonard, fiddling with my fingers as I averted my eyes to the ground nervously.

"Sorry...I don't go out very much. Not at all really…" I said as I smiled. "I wasn't sure what clothes would be appropriate. I'm sorry we're going to get there late."

"Don't go out?" Leonard chuckled. "Yet you're hiding a beautiful dress in your closet."

"I thought I'd try to go out of my comfort zone…" I sighed. "then regretted buying it after...so I put it in the back of my closet."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying you're looking very lovely tonight." Leonard commented as I saw him offer his arm for me to take. "Shall we ma'am?"

I hesitantly reached out and linked my arm with Leonard before we followed Jim to whatever bar he had found which surprisingly was close to the academy.

The music was loud! This was what people did for fun? It was a bit overwhelming...

"I'll go get us drinks." Jim yelled over the music. "You two go get us some seats!"

Jim pushed his way toward the bar, his body vanishing in the crowd as Leonard led me away. The two of us finally found an empty booth and slid in before anyone else could take it.

"This is what people do for fun?" I called out as I leaned closer to Leonard.

"This is what Jim does for fun, I just tag along." Leonard said in my ear. "Do you really not go out, you can't be that much older than Jim."

"I don't have very many friends." I confessed. "I only have one...well now three I suppose."

"Well, get used to this scene, because if I'm not around Jim will definitely drag you along." Leonard said.

"Drinks are here!" Jim yelled as he slid beside me, passing the two of us some sort of concoction he picked for us. "Bottoms up!"

"What is this?" I asked as I looked at the colorful drink in front of me.

"I don't know!" Jim laughed. "I just asked what was popular with the ladies. Cheers!"

"Cheers?" I said as I lifted my glass to his before doing the same to Leonard. The three of us knocked back our drinks. Mine tasted very fruity, strong, before changing to what tasted like nail polish remover. I had to wince as soon as I put the glass down. "My god!"

Jim simply laughed at my expense. "Good isn't it?"

"That can be debated." I said as I pushed the empty glass away from me. "I'd rather drink the classics."

"Ah, you're more a classy lady." Jim said as he stopped a passing waitress before ordering more. "We're gonna have fun tonight. No work, no tests, no lectures, nothing! Just plain, simple fun!"

"Are we celebrating something?" I asked curiously.

"Jim's hyping himself up for the test." Leonard whispered and I shook my head.

"How do these nights usually end up?" I asked as I watched Jim drink another shot.

"Jim ends up drunk, sometimes he takes a girl back to our dorm leaving me to sleep in one of the medical rooms, or I have the room to myself." Leonard said as if it was all scripted. "Last case? I'm dragging a drunk Jim back to our room."

"How many times have you done this?" I asked curiously.

"Too many times to count." Leonard scoffed as he then took a leisurely sip from his new drink.

"Poor you…" I commented as Jim looked at Leonard sadly.

"I'm not always like that!" Jim defended.

"No, you're right I'm missing something." Leonard smiled. "The occasional argument you get into with another cadet."

"How you aren't kicked out yet I don't know." I said with a smile. "Please play nice tonight."

"Yes, Professor." Jim mocked with a chuckle.

The three of us sat in the booth, I was listening to what Jim and Leonard were up to when I wasn't around during their academy time. Before Jim left, leaving Leonard and myself alone.

"So, tell me all about Allyson DeLuca." Leonard said as he turned his body to face me.

"Only if you tell me about Leonard 'Bones' McCoy." I countered with a smile.

"Fair enough." Leonard said. "Ladies first."

"My name's Allyson DeLuca and I'm 25 years young. Born September 23 2233 on a Starship, came to Earth when I enlisted for Starfleet. Entered the Academy at 17 and graduated at 21. I sub when an instructor can't make their class, but my main study at the moment is SoulMarks." I said.

"Yeah, I heard from Jim you're an expert in that area. Very much a romantic he said." Leonard said. "You don't find many people nowadays who still look for their SoulMate."

"Well, I find it interesting that we have them." I chuckled. "And I wouldn't call myself an expert...I'm still finding new things I never knew about."

"I suppose." Leonard said. "What got you interested in that area?"

"My interest came from my own Mark." I smiled. "Mine is a bit odd, and I wanted to see if anyone else had similar problems and if there was a possibility of having a romantic life with said problem."

"I won't poke and prod if you're not comfortable going into more details." Leonard said before drinking from his glass and letting a sigh. "I wasn't born with my mark like all the others, didn't show up till I was 6 and you know what that means."

"Your SoulMate is 6 years younger than you?" I hummed in thought. "I think Kirk is 6 years younger then you…"

"Shut up." Leonard laughed. "So what's your major?"

"I'm a generalist for a Starship." I said.

"A jack-of-all-trades." Leonard stated.

"Of course," I said. "if someone in an area can't make their shift I'll be there to cover."

"And what if there are multiple areas that are needed?" Leonard asked.

"Then I go to the area that needs my immediate attention before moving on to the next." I shrugged. "I'm a person that needs to keep busy."

"Hope you take time to rest, if not you'll overwork yourself." Leonard commented.

"I'll let you in on a secret." I said as I leaned in to whisper in Leonard's ear. "I use my office to sleep when I find some rare downtime."

"Mums the word." Leonard smirked.

"So! Your turn." I nudged Leonard. "Who is Leonard 'Bones' McCoy?"

"Not much to tell really." Leonard said as he suddenly found his glass more interesting, his smile vanishing. "I'm 31 years old, born January 20 Stardate 2227 in Georgia. I studied at University of Mississippi and became a certified doctor. I was married but after a harsh divorce, my wife took the whole planet and with nowhere else to go I enlisted in Starfleet."

"I'm so sorry to hear…" I said as I reached out for McCoy's hand that was gripping his glass tightly. "if it makes you feel better, there is something good that came from your divorce."

"And what's that?" Leonard asked.

"You got to meet me and Jim." I laughed. "I think if you didn't get a divorce you wouldn't have enlisted into Starfleet. When one door closes, another opens right? That's the saying I think."

"I got to meet you." Leonard agreed. "Jim I can give or take."

"You love him." I joked. "Besides, if you didn't meet Jim you wouldn't have talked to me."

Leonard and I shared a laugh once more.

"Oh, Jim's coming back." I said as I motioned for Jim to hurry up. "I'm going to the restroom, I'll be right back."

"Need an escort?" Leonard asked.

"I'll be okay." I used his shoulder, pushing down gently to help me get back to my feet. "I can take care of myself."

"Yeah you can." Jim made a comment as I made my way to the bathroom.

I used the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. I took a deep breath to still my racing heart.

'God...he has such a nice smile.' I instinctively reached for my right arm. 'Bones…is that really what it means?' Before shaking my head. 'Too soon to tell…' I thought as I tried to make myself presentable and just as I was about to leave I accidentally bumped into someone. "Sorry about that."

"Commander DeLuca."

I stopped as I looked at the woman I bumped into and saw a dark skinned female, dressed in a beautiful red dress.

"Hello?" I greeted, not sure who this person was so I just assumed from the title she called me that she was from the academy. "How can I help you today?"

"Cadet Nyota Uhura." The woman introduced herself.

'Ah! Spock's SoulMate!' I thought before smiling in excitement. "Hello! It's nice to finally meet you!"

"Permission to speak freely ma'am?" Nyota said on a serious note compared to my level of excitement.

"Oh um, permission granted...I suppose?" I said with confusion.

"What's between you and Commander Spock?" Nyota asked, catching me completely off guard.

"Spock and myself attended the academy together, we had several classes together, and I went to him for advice concerning my academic future." I replied truthfully. "We graduated top of the academy together and later started teaching at the academy."

"What is the Commander to **you**?" Nyota harshly asked.

"A best friend?" I backed up a bit as Nyota seemed to take a step toward me. "One of the first friends I've made in my life."

" **Romantic** feelings." Nyota asked almost annoyed that I wasn't getting her questions right away.

'Ah...I heard of how intense jealousy is when concerned with a SoulMate.' I thought, finally realizing her implications. "Fascinating…"

"Commander Spock-"

"I'm sorry Cadet Uhura, I'm going to have to stop you." I said as I held a hand up. "Spock is a very dear friend of mine, and I know of yours and Spock's relationship because he confided in me such a secret why? I study in SoulMarks. Spock wanted my advice." I sighed. "There is nothing between Spock and myself besides friendship, I would go so far as to call him family to me. I do not have his SoulMark, **you do** Cadet Uhura."

"Show me." Nyota urges. "I've heard from Spock you are greatly adept in such a field and that drive to study it comes from your SoulMark."

"I'm sorry Cadet, I cannot show you mine due to my insecurity." I apologized. "You simply have to take my word."

"Your word?" Nyota scoffed. "Why?"

"Because if Spock trusts my judgment and advice, you should too." I smiled. "I've learned how intense jealousy is for Mate's so I'll write it off as that."

Nyota looked a bit ashamed, I'm assuming she must've talked to Spock about our relationship as well and I simply went over to her and gave her a reassuring hug.

"What we talked about here I have forgotten." I said as I pulled away. "Should you need advice on the subject, my office is always open. SoulMarks are...mysterious and overwhelming at times when you actually find your Mate. We still have very much to learn."

"I'm sorry Commander DeLuca, I…" Nyota mumbled.

"Sorry about what?" I cocked my head to the side in confusion, a smile still on my face in hopes she'd get the hint. "I have a few friends I came here with that I can't keep waiting." I moved to walk past her. "I look forward to our budding friendship."

I exited the bathroom and made my way back to where I had left Jim and Leonard, only to see Leonard sitting there by himself with a woman talking to him. He looked uncomfortable as she started to lean in to speak to him, trying to sit in seat beside him in the booth and I quickly made my way to the table.

"Sorry for the wait." I said sweetly as I slid in beside Leonard. Looping my arm through his and placing a hand in his forearm, giving it a squeeze, silently telling him to play along. "Is there a problem sweetheart?"

"No problem at all darling." Leonard answered after taking a second to recover from his nickname. "This kind lady was asking if I'd seen her friend."

The woman looked at me with disgust before leaving, and I couldn't help but laugh as soon as she was out of earshot as I pulled away from Leonard.

"Thanks for the save." Leonard said.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to save a damsel in distress." I laughed. "Where's Jim? I didn't think he'd leave you alone."

"Hardy-har-har." Leonard rolled his eyes. "Jim found a friend and went back to their dorm. I got the room to myself. Would've left as soon as he did, but I wanted to wait for you."

"Such a gentleman." I smiled. "I have work tomorrow, shall we leave?"

"I'll escort you back to your room." Leonard offered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." I tried to decline as we left the club, but Leonard was having none of it.

"Nonsense, a commander you may be, but dressed like that with the addition of drunken men everywhere. I wouldn't forgive myself if something were to happen to you." Leonard said. "What took you so long in the bathroom?"

"I ran into a Cadet that had some questions about a topic I taught a few days ago." I lied. "This is my room, thanks for escorting me."

"Not a problem." Leonard smiled. "Good night Commander Allyson DeLuca."

"Good night Cadet Leonard McCoy. Thank you for a great night out." I giggled. "Next time I'll see you will be during Jim's test."

"Don't remind me…" Leonard mumbled under his breath.

I wasn't sure what I was doing, so I simply closed the distance between us and placed a light kiss on Leonard's cheek before leaving him stunned in my doorway as I retreated back to my room and closed the door.

I placed my hands over my face in embarrassment.

'Why!' I berated myself in my head. 'Why did I do that!'

'What will Leonard think? How will he react the next time I see him?' I started to panic, tapping my right arm. 'It was too soon…'

I sighed as I lifted the sleeve of my dress on my right arm. Tracing the letters that I've become accustomed to for years.

'But...who else would have a name like this. Not to mention...no one would like having a defected Mate like me…' I thought as I sighed sadly before shaking my head to dismiss such thoughts.

"No, no more of that." I scolded. "Put those thoughts behind me…"


	4. Instructor and Commander

"We're receiving a distress signal from the USS Kobayashi Maru. The ship has lost power and is stranded. Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them." Nyota informed Jim with a slight attitude not sounding at all entertained by being a part of such a simulation once more.

"Starfleet Command has ordered us to rescue them, _Captain_." Jim corrected Nyota as the alarms overhead started to beep to signal a warning.

"Oh god…" I sighed beside Spock while watching Jim from the observation deck standing. I saw Leonard roll his eyes at Jim's response as he tapped away on the monitor in front of him.

"Two Klingon vessels have entered the neutral zone and are locking weapons on us." Leonard reported to Jim.

"That's okay." Jim replied.

"That's okay?" Leonard repeated, throwing his hand up as he looked back to Jim.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Jim said nonchalantly.

"Jim…" I sighed while placing a hand over my eyes feeling completely embarrassed and flabbergasted at his response. "what are you doing…"

"Taking this simulation as a joke." Spock replied.

"Did he say 'don't worry about it' ?" One of the instructors asked, as he stared down at Jim.

"Is he not taking the simulation seriously?" The instructor closest to the glass window asked.

Through my fingers I saw Jim looking up at the observation deck with a proud, conceited smirk on his face before Leonard speaking bought Jim's attention back to the simulation he was currently a part of.

"Three more Klingon warbirds decloaking and targeting our ship." Leonard said as he turned back to Jim, his frown crooked as he motioned dramatically to the 'viewscreen'. "I don't suppose this is a problem either."

"They're firing, Captain." Another cadet that was part of the simulation cut in.

"Alert medical bay to prepare to receive all crew members from the damaged ship." Jim called Nyota who turned back to Jim, taken back by such a request.

"And how do you expect us to rescue them when we're surrounded by Klingons, _**Captain**_." Nyota sneered with her arms crossed over her chest. Jim turned his chair to Nyota, still with a smile permanently on his face.

"Alert medical." Jim repeated before alarms wailing above notified Jim that the there was a problem with the ship.

"I can't watch this…" I mumbled to Spock. "playing it off as some kind of joke?"

"Our ship is being hit." Leonard cut in, tapping more on the screen in front of him.

"I understand." Jim said as he fidgeted in his seat, producing an apple from his side.

"Well should we, I don't know, fire back?" Leonard asked with a shrug of his shoulders, looking just as done with the simulation as I was along with Jim's lack of leadership at the current situation.

"No." Jim said as he took a bite of the apple in his hand.

"Of course not." Leonard scoffed.

"Spock, I'm leaving." I informed the Vulcan. "I can't keep watching this, and being asked to be here due to someone saying they were going to pass only to act this way is a waste of my time. Please inform me what the end results are."

"Underst-"

I was just about to leave when I heard the beeping from the machines became distorted, the sounds from the machine whirred down as the lights in the room flickered. The monitor screens fizzed out as everyone both in the observation deck and the crew inside the simulation began to clamor inside the small room.

"What is this?" An instructor asked as he pushed past another instructor. "What's going on?"

This caused me to falter as I went back over to Spock's side. I stared down at the crew below, watching the confusion on each member's face and looking up toward the observation deck for answers. And out of all the confusion my eyes fell back to Jim who looked completely calm among all the chaos.

Another whir, this time the sound going from low to high as the power began to switch on. All the screens went back to normal and the simulation was back to functioning at standard level.

"Hmm." Jim turned back to the front screen. "Arm photons. Prepare to fire on the Klingon warbirds."

"Yes, sir." The second cadet to Jim's right answered.

"Jim, their shields are still up." Leonard pointed out.

"Are they?" Jim asked while taking another bite from his apple.

Leonard turned back to his own screen, looking at the information presented to him before he realized the sudden change on the panel. "No. They're not."

"Fire on all enemy ships. One photon each should do it, so don't waste ammunition." Jim ordered.

"Target locked and acquired on all warbirds." The cadet reported. "Firing."

I looked at the screen that showed the Klingon warbirds, the familiar sound of photon cannons coming to life echoed before firing. Destroying all the warbirds that were surrounding the stranded Kobayashi Maru. Though as soon as I saw all the ships destroyed I turned to look back at Jim, remaining indifferent as I saw him imitate a gun shooting as he continued to eat that stupid apple.

"All ships destroyed, Captain." The cadet reported back to Jim.

"Begin rescue of the stranded crew. So!" Jim said as he stood up from his chair to address the entire 'crew' members and those watching the simulation. Putting on a show from what it looked like to me. "We've managed to eliminate all enemy ships, no one on board was injured, and-" Jim patted Leonard's shoulder as I caught the latter's eyes staring up at me nervously. "the rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew is underway."

Jim took a bite of his apple before turning to smugly glance at all the instructors that were watching and grading his performance.

"How the hell did that kid beat your test?" One of the instructors asked as he turned to look in our direction.

"I do not know." Spock answered as he turned to look at me, finally seeing that I hadn't left like I had told him I would. "I assumed you had left."

"I was until the lights started to flicker." I whispered to Spock as I turned my back to Jim. "To my surprise...someone has passed your test Spock." But I wasn't happy or surprised. Something felt off, but I wasn't sure what it was that bothered me. All I knew was that something had occurred in that simulation that has never happened before.

"Might I inquire about your assessment on the situation regarding the power fluctuation?" Spock whispered, the two of us conversing quietly to avoid the other instructors from hearing. Spock escorted me out of the observation room so we could discuss further without any onlookers or eavesdroppers.

"I can't say without evidence." I shook my head. "What I do know, is that throughout the four years from programming to helping run the simulation...your test has never done something like that. Changing the situation all together."

"Then your conclusion." Spock asked.

"A cheat in the system." I replied. "Kirk is a friend of mine, but as a partial instructor I cannot condone such a way of achieving such goals. If he did indeed cheat your simulation, you need proof Spock. I am too close to either party to weigh in should you take this to the Council at this Academy."

"Understood." Spock nodded. "I understand it must be difficult to have to choose sides."

"Difficult yes, extremely so." I sighed before gritting my teeth in irritation. 'Jim, you've put me in such a terrible situation.'

"I apologize if it does go to a hearing." Spock said.

"If it comes to it I hope that Cadet Kirk learns from this situation and never does it again." I shook my head.

"I will be thorough when looking for any signs of tampering." Spock informed as the two of us continued to walk. To where though? I could not say.

"That's all I can ask for." I nodded.

* * *

Through my personal datapad I was sent a message from Academy President Admiral Richard Barnett informing me that there would be a hearing held today in the auditorium and that it was mandatory that all Instructors and Students were to attend.

The auditorium was packed, I could barely find a place to sit. I saw Leonard at the very front, he was talking to Jim and when he looked up our eyes met. I gave him a small wave before finding a place beside Spock. "Afternoon Spock."

"Afternoon DeLuca." Spock greeted.

Admiral Barnett cleared his throat to gain the attention of the whole auditorium, a silent command for everyone to settle and pay attention.

"This session has been called to resolve a troubling matter. James T. Kirk, step forward." Admiral Barnett called as Jim got up from his seat to approach the podium. "Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council, suggesting that you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to Regulation One-Seven point three of the Starfleet Code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin, sir?"

"Yes, I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly." Jim answered Admiral Barnett.

From beside me, Spock stood and straightened his uniform.

"Step forward, please." Admiral Barnett ordered Spock, who walked down the stairs to the opposite podium. "This is Commander Spock. He's one of our most distinguished graduates. He's programmed the Kobayashi Maru exam for the last four years." Spock and Jim turned to stare at each other before Admiral Barnett continued. "Commander?"

"Cadet Kirk, you somehow managed to install and activate a subroutine to the programming code, thereby changing the conditions of the test." Spock subtly accused Jim.

"Your point being?" Jim asked.

"In academic vernacular, you cheated." Admiral Barnett reiterated for Jim to be able to understand.

The cadets around began to murmur and talk about how someone could have the guts to cheat especially when it came to a test like the Kobayashi Maru.

"Let me ask you something, I think we all know the answer to." Jim made a snide comment toward Spock. "The test itself is a cheat, isn't it? I mean, you programmed it to be unwinnable."

"Your argument precludes the possibility of a no-win scenario." Spock replied.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios." Jim countered.

"Then, not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson." Spock stated, turning now fully to address Jim.

"Please, enlighten me." Jim said, facing Spock accepting his challenge.

"You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk, a Captain cannot cheat death." Spock said as those around me began to murmur once more.

'Spock…' I thought before looking to Jim with concern. 'Jim…"

"I of all people?" Jim scoffed.

"Excuse me Admiral Barnett." I called as I raised my hand to interrupt the ongoing feud between Spock and Jim, and to avoid a potential blowout. "If I may intervene."

"Commander DeLuca." Admiral Barnett acknowledged before motioning me to step up to the podium beside Spock. "What have you to add to this hearing?"

"I understand Spock is trying to give an example, but I feel there are better ways to prove his point sir." I said, my voice wavering slightly at having to speak in front of an audience. "Bringing up the past that's directly linked to the Cadet…" I looked at Spock, holding his eyes before continuing on. "forgive me, is in very poor taste."

"Commander DeLuca," Another Admiral cut Barnett off as I looked to whoever spoke, seeing them sneer at my interruption. "how is this situation at all related to you?"

"Commander DeLuca was there during Cadet Kirk's simulation." Spock informed the admiral, sticking up for me before looking back at me with curiosity. "Commander DeLuca is perceptive and an expert in any field, she can spot the problem and solve the situation in mere seconds. During Cadet Kirk's test when the lights and machines fluctuated Commander DeLuca stayed behind to assess the situation."

"Is that correct Commander DeLuca?" One of the Admiral asked. "And what were your findings?"

"That is correct." I said. "I have watched as Spock programmed the simulation, I also have seen other Cadets take the test before Cadet Kirk. I can say that throughout all of my observations that nothing like what I had seen during Cadet Kirks simulation has ever happened before."

"And your conclusion?" Admiral asked.

"I cannot conclude anything without physical evidence." I stated.

"Then what do you speculate happened?" Admiral Barnett asked.

"I would not accuse without having proof." I reiterated for the panel before me. "But, if you are asking me hypothetically than I'd say that person inputted a way to create the test to become winnable."

I turned to look at Jim, wishing to speak before Spock could bring up something he shouldn't.

"Cadet Kirk, should the accusations brought up against you be proven true, then you have not learned what this test is supposed to teach all upcoming Captains." I said as I steeled my gaze. Jim could not hold my gaze as he tried to hold Spock's. He knew I was disappointed.

"And the lesson I'm supposed to learn Professor DeLuca?" Jim asked.

"The reason the test is a cheat, unwinnable is because it is not made to be won, Cadet Kirk, but to teach a valuable lesson. The simulation's one purpose is to experience fear. Fear in the face of death. Accepting your fate while keeping calm and in control while commanding your crew. All Starfleet Captain's are required to be an example...because it is the crew who will look to you for guidance when all hope seems lost. If a Captain cannot portray such a demeanor then who would the crew look to to lead them?"

"Excuse me, sir." Spock and my attention was averted toward the front to see a messenger handing over a pad to Admiral Barnett.

Admiral Barnett's brow furrowed at the message that he saw before his eyes widened as he addressed the rest of us.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian System, I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar One immediately. Dismissed." Admiral Barnett scooted his chair back and stood, immediately everyone followed suit as the Cadets turned to file out of the auditorium.

"Follow me." Spock ordered as he grabbed my wrist to follow, but not before looking back at Jim just as Leonard joined him by his side at the podium. I felt bad for speaking against Jim, but there's a small part of me that hoped he realized that even though I was neither with him...I wasn't against him either.

"Spock, I must report in to find out which ship I'm assigned to." I tried to tell Spock, who immediately stopped and turned to talk to me.

"I've already checked." Spock informed as he showed his own datapad, my name along with the starship I've been assigned to the first on his list.

"DeLuca, USS Enterprise." I read off in slight shock. The newest ship and I was assigned to serve under it!

"You'll be serving alongside myself, now I must go and assign my Cadets." Spock said and I could only nod my head as I watched him leave to one of the shuttles that were docked.

"Commander?" I heard Jim's voice. I looked to my right to see Jim going after one of the commanders. "Sir, you didn't call my name. Kirk, James T.?"

I watched as Jim conversed with the commander, his barrack leader, before they left leaving Jim and Leonard alone.

'If my memory serves...Jim would be unable to fly due to the accusations.' I thought as I watched Jim shake Leonard's hand, a sad and longing look as he watched Leonard walk toward me. "Starship?"

"I've been assigned to the Enterprise." Leonard responded, his lips in a thin line as he took another glance back toward Jim.

"You know…" I said as Leonard stopped beside me after I had spoken. "it's a shame really."

"Allyson?" Leonard asked as I smiled up at the charming doctor.

"I heard Jim's really sick...if I recall correctly, you're his physician aren't you?" I innocently looked up to Leonard. "You shouldn't leave your ill patient alone without a replacement to look after him, right Doctor?"

Leonard's eyes widened at my implication, putting two and two together, before I smiled.

"I'll see you both on the Enterprise." I said as I turned to one of the leaving shuttles. "Please keep me informed of Jim's condition."

* * *

"Come with me." Leonard said as he linked his arm with Jim's and practically dragged him to a nearby medical bay.

"What are you doing?" Jim asked, repeating it every second as they got to the med bay.

"I'm doing you a favor. I couldn't just leave you there looking all pathetic. Thanks to Allyson I remembered a certain medical code that'll bypass your academic suspension. Take a seat." Leonard replied as he ruffled through phials, taking one and putting it in the hypospray Leonard had grabbed. "I'm going to give you a vaccine against viral infection from Melvaran mud fleas."

Leonard injected Jim with the vaccine as Jim drew back in pain.

"Oww!" Jim exclaimed. "What for?"

"To give you the symptoms." Leonard answered.

"What are you talking about?" Jim asked.

"You're going to start to lose vision in your left eye." Leonard began to list off symptoms as he started to grab more phials and medical equipment.

"Yeah, I already have." Jim said as he attempted to blink, staring off to the side.

"Oh, and you're going to get a really bad headache and a flop sweat." Leonard continued as he finished packing his side bag, going over to Jim and helping him to his feet.

"You call this a favor?" Jim asked, his voice hoarse and in pain, almost folding in on himself the moment Leonard got him to his feet.

"Yeah, you owe me one." Leonard shot back as he continued to drag and support Jim. "You also owe Allyson an apology and a 'thank you'."

* * *

"Commander Spock." I called as I intercepted his path, pushing through cadets and crew staff aboard the Enterprise. I was already dressed in my mustard yellow starfleet dress uniform, adjusted as a long sleeve compared to many of the other women's uniforms aboard the ship thank god. I saw Spock had already changed into his blue uniform.

"Commander DeLuca." Spock nodded his head.

"I've just come from Engineering. We're ready to take off." I reported. "All that was assigned are accounted for and aboard the Enterprise."

"Good." Spock said as I followed him to the turbolift. "Follow me to the Bridge, we must report to Captain Pike."

The moment the two of us entered the turbolift, I leaned over to push the buttons on the lift to take us to the Bridge.

"Have you read your assignment?" Spock asked as we waited for the doors to open.

"Yes," I said. "it also said that my occupation would be assigned by Captain Pike. What about yourself?"

"First officer." Spock said.

The doors opened and I couldn't help but gasp at how beautiful the command deck looked. To be assigned to the Enterprise and witness its maiden voyage, all that hard work leading to this moment was worth it! Spock left my side as he went over to his seat leaving me just standing by his computer awaiting instructions.

"Mister Spock." Captain Pike's voice called as he entered the bridge.

"Captain." Spock said as he flipped the top switches on his monitor before turning to look at Captain Pike. "Engineering has reported they're ready for launch."

"Thank you." Captain Pike said before he noticed me. "And you are?"

"Allyson DeLuca, Captain." I reported. "My datapad said to report to you for my assignment."

"Miss DeLuca, yes." Captain Pike said. "I'm honored to have you aboard my ship, I've read much about you. Sorry we have to make this brief."

"Not a problem Captain." I said.

"Your station will be here on the bridge." Captain Pike pointed to one of the standing stations that was at the very left of his Captain's chair. "You'll have a full view of what goes on aboard the Enterprise along with easy communication with all deck and crew. If there is an emergency in any department throughout the ship, should anyone need your assistance your monitor will notify you on the screen of incoming messages and you will go where you are needed."

"Understood Captain." I said, but just as I was about to go to my station Captain Pike stopped me.

"And as you know, Commander Spock is my First Officer." Captain Pike said. "You, Commander Allyson DeLuca, I had trouble finding your occupation. Not because you are underqualified, but because of your over qualifications."

"Captain Pike, any occupation you assign I'd be truly honored no matter how low it is." I said with a smile. "I'm just happy to be on the Enterprise serving under you."

"Well then," Captain Pike said as he moved on to his Captain's chair. "welcome aboard Second Officer DeLuca."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to figure out what uniform Allyson should wear: which was either between yellow (for command/bridge work) or red (communications/engineering). I chose yellow because of her position and responsibilities.


	5. Welcome Aboard!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I imagine the function of Allyson's station: As you know each station on the bridge is dedicated to communication, science, engineering and the helm/navigation. Now imagine a station that can support each station should any one station find themselves overwhelmed or unable to perform one of their tasks during a fight because they're preoccupied with something else. That's Allyson's station along with being able to communicate to every level on a starship. If you see a comm on a level she'd be able to hear if they're calling for help or backup or some assistance. She'd need to continuously multitask, think fast, along with act fast as soon as she hears a call.

...Second Officer?

Second Officers are known to take command of a starship should the Captain or First Officer become unavailable to do so. It is an unspoken knowledge throughout a starship that the Second Officer is the third-in-command.

NOT SOMETHING I WAS QUALIFIED FOR!

I wanted to deny such an occupation, but Captain Pike was already walking away. So, I quickly grabbed onto Spock's arm, my anxiety and panic swelling up at the thought of holding such a title.

"Spock…" I whispered. "I don't think I can do this!"

"You were given the title because you are qualified to hold it." Spock logically stated. "Captain Pike said you were overqualified for such a position, not underqualified."

"I'm meant to work all over the starship." I argued. "I'm not meant to command a one!"

"That will only happen if Captain Pike or myself are unavailable to take control." Spock reasoned. "We're ready to warp into space. Your station awaits you Commander DeLuca. We can speak more about this matter after we answer Vulcan's distress signal."

'Cheeky, green-blooded…' I sighed as I straightened my dress and went over to my station. "Damn you and your logic."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the maiden voyage of our newest flagship deserves more pomp and circumstance than we can afford today. A christening will just have to be our reward for a safe return. Carry on." Captain Pike gave a small pep talk to everyone that was present on the bridge before taking a seat on the captain's chair. He opened all communication throughout the Enterprise as he began to speak once more. "All decks, this is Captain Pike, prepare for immediate departure. Helm, thrusters."

"Moorings retracted, Captain. Dock control reports ready. Thrusters, fired. Separating from Spacedock." The helmsman reported, tapping onto the screen in front of him. The scene from the viewscreen began to change as we moved away from the spacedock and turned to the millions of stars that stretched on to eternity along with other starships that were preparing for warp. "The fleets cleared spacedock, Captain. All ships ready for warp."

"Set course for Vulcan." Captain Pike commanded.

"Aye aye, Captain. Course laid in." The helmsman turned in his chair to Captain Pike awaiting orders to warp into space.

"Maximum warp. Punch it." Captain Pike gave the order and I couldn't help but watch in anticipation. Excited to see the space around us bend as we travelled at alarming speed through the blackness. I was eager to finally be among the stars.

The helmsman pushed the lever to his left forward, and all around us I could see the other ships take off, vanishing in a blink of an eye. The Enterprise rumbled to life, the engines I could see from my screen were working, but something was off...we weren't moving.

"Lieutenant, where's Helmsman McKenna?" Captain Pike asked as from the corner of my eyes I saw the Captain leaning to his left with his hand under his chin.

"He has lungworm, sir. He couldn't report to his post." The helmsman said before turning back to Captain Pike and swallowing nervously. "I'm Hikaru Sulu."

"And you are a pilot, right?" Captain Pike asked incredulously.

"Uh, very much so, sir." Sulu turned back around to his screen as he started tapping away to find the problem, but just by looking at my own screen I could see exactly what was wrong...and I felt so bad for the man. "I'm, uh, not sure what's wrong."

"Is the...parking brake on?" Captain Pike jokingly asked as he turned toward Spock and myself with a roll of his eye. Spock made brief eye contact with me and I couldn't help but mouth my suspicion.

 _'Dampener…?'_ I mouthed to Spock who subtly nodded before going back to slightly judge, I'm assuming, our helmsman's capabilities.

"Uh, no." Sulu chuckled as he continued to look for the problem. "I'll figure it out. I'm just…"

"Have you disengaged the external inertial dampener?" Spock cut in, offering assistance.

There was a moment of silence, before Sulu moved his hand over his panel in front of him before sitting back in his chair. "Ready for warp, sir."

"Let's punch it." Captain Pike smirked.

On the viewscreen the space around us started to create a type of tunnel vision, the stars turning into white streaks as we began to travel at warp...and we couldn't even tell the ship was moving.

I got a message that pinged on my screen as I continued to monitor the whole starship. I opened the private message and saw it was from Leonard.

_***Sleeping like an infant, complained like an infant too*** _

I smiled before swiping the message off of my screen before anyone could see.

"Engines at maximum warp, Captain." Sulu reported

"Russian whiz kid, what's your name? Chenko, Cherpov?" Captain Pike asked, turning to the navigator that sat to Sulu's right.

"Ensign Chekov, Pavel Anderievich, sir." The kid corrected.

"Fine, Chekov, Pavel Andreievich, begin shipwide mission broadcast." Captain Pike commanded.

"Yes, sir, happy to." Chekov said as he started to punch in the code to his screen, his Russian accent prominent as he spoke into the computer. "Ensign authorization code nine-five-wictor-wictor-two."

"Authorization Not Recognized." The computer responded.

"Ensign authorization code nine-five-Vwictor-Vwictor-two." Chekov repeated again, putting emphasis on the 'V' as much as he could.

"Access Granted." The computer responded as Chekov's shipwide broadcast began.

"May I have your attention, please. At 2200 hundred hours, telemetry detected an anomaly in the neutral zone. What appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress signal from ze Wulcan High Command that their planet was experiencing seismic actiwity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan, and to assist in the ewacuations if necessary. We should be arriving at Wulcan within three minutes. Thank you for your time." Chekov ended the transmission before going about tapping away at his screen.

"Commander DeLuca." Captain Pike called for me as he motioned for me to approach.

"Captain Pike." I said as I moved over to his side.

"We have a bit of time to talk, if you don't mind." Captain Pike said as he kept his eyes toward the viewing screen.

"Not at all sir." I said, not really daring to defy the request of a captain.

"I've read of your records during your time in Starfleet, and I'm curious about a few things." Captain Pike said. "You've taken almost every single course during your time as a cadet, your grades impeccable, and yet...you didn't want to apply yourself into any Leadership courses."

"I just didn't think I had what it takes to captain a starship, sir." I responded.

"I beg to differ." Captain Pike said as he looked up at me. "I know your Father, spoken to him a few times as well. Your family comes from a long line of Captains. If I recall correctly your two siblings are captains as well."

I stiffened at the mention of my family, I knew it would come up...but I had hoped no one would bother looking into someone as little as myself.

"It's...complicated sir." I mumbled. "I'm not entirely close with my family nor do I have any interest in becoming a Captain."

"Apologies if I made you uncomfortable Commander." Captain Pike said with sincerity. "There's a reason I made you my second officer Commander DeLuca. Though you may not be interested in becoming a starship captain, I'm hoping you can grow further by having this experience...if there ever comes a time when Mister Spock or myself fail to take command."

"Captain…?" I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"You wanted to be a jack-of-all-trade Commander DeLuca," Captain Pike smirked. "now you will be. You never took classes, but you have seen many cadets take Mister Spock's test along with your past experience with your family. You know what's expected. Learn by doing. Back to your station, we'll be arriving at Vulcan shortly ."

Before I was able to return to my station however there was commotion outside. I heard the running footsteps before the first door opened, and then the second door.

"Captain!" Jim's voice called as he was the first to enter.

"Jim, come back!" Leonard's voice yelled as I saw the good doctor trailing behind Jim and surprisingly Nyota was following after the two.

"Captain!" Jim called as he came to a complete stop as soon as he was on the bridge. "Captain Pike, sir…"

"Jim, come back here!" Leonard pleaded as he went to grab for Jim.

"...we have to stop the ship!" Jim followed without bothering to listen to Leonard.

"Kirk," Captain Pike greeted in disbelief. "how the hell did you get onboard the Enterprise!"

"Captain, this man's under the influence of a severe reaction to a vaccine." Leonard tried to explain as he stood between Jim and an enraged Captain, trying the best he could to keep Jim from talking any further.

"Bones, Bones...please…" Jim tried to speak up only for Leonard to continue to interrupt him.

"He's completely delusional, and I take full responsibility." Leonard said before Jim decided to amp it up and yell over Leonard's talking.

"Vulcan is not experiencing a natural disaster. It's being attacked by Romulans." Jim said, finally being able to speak for once without Leonard's constant rambling and interruptions.

"Romulans? Cadet Kirk, I think you've had enough attention for one day." Captain Pike said as he brushed off Jim's statement and turned to Leonard. "McCoy, take him back to medical. We'll have words later."

"Aye, Captain." Leonard said as he tried to grab Jim who simply slipped out of Leonard's grip and moved closer to Captain Pike.

"Look, sir, that same anomaly that we saw today." Jim started to speak before Spock intervened.

"Mister Kirk is not cleared to be aboard this vessel, Captain." _**"Look. I get it. You're a great arguer."**_ "By Regulations…" _**"I'd love to do it again."**_ "that makes him a stow away. I can remove the cadet…"

"Try it! This cadet is trying to save the Bridge." Jim yelled at Spock.

"Talk about male ego…" I mumbled to Nyota, having moved to her side during the commotion. "must they always yell over each other to become the dominant one."

"By recommending a full stop mid-warp during a rescue mission?" Spock asked in confusion, almost as if he had hoped he was hearing Jim wrong.

"It's not a rescue mission. Listen to me, it's an attack." Jim whispered as he turned back to Captain Pike.

"Based on what facts?" Spock asked, his voice having risen at the implications.

The whole bridge remained silent as all of us watched the exchange between our Captain, Commander Spock and Cadet Kirk.

"That same anomaly, a lightning storm in space that we saw today, also occurred on the day of my birth, before a Romulan ship attacked the U.S.S. Kelvin." Jim listed his evidence to Spock before returning his attention to Captain Pike in hopes that our Captain would see reason for wanting to stop mid-warp. "You know that, sir, I read your dissertation. That ship, which had formidable and advanced weaponry, was never seen or heard from again. The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space, and at 2300 hours last night, there was an attack. Forty-seven Klingon warbirds destroyed by Romulans, sir, and it was reported that the Romulans were in one ship, one massive ship."

"And you know of this Klingon attack how?" Captain Pike was beginning to see a reason behind Jim's theory, he just needed another person to fully back up Jim's statement.

Jim turned from the two men and looked beside me to Nyota expectantly waiting for her to reply.

"Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself. Kirk's report is accurate." Nyota supported Jim's claim before he turned back to Captain Pike.

"We're warping into a trap, sir. The Romulans are waiting for us, I promise you that." Jim pleaded one final plea to Captain Pike who looked back toward Spock for some form of support and advice.

"The cadet's logic is sound." Spock assured. "And Lieutenant Uhura is unmatched in Xenolinguistics. We would be wise to accept her conclusion."

"Scan Vulcan space. Check for any transmission in Romulan." Captain Pike sent a command to his communications officer, a young man in a red uniform.

"Sir, I'm not sure I can distinguish the Romulan language from Vulcan." The male Lieutenant admitted.

"DeLuca." Captain Pike said, bringing my attention back to him. "How's your Romulan?"

"Sketchy sir, I only took the course enough to be able to simply communicate and be a liaison between species" I admitted before looking over casually beside me. "Though, I do have a recommendation...Lieutenant Uhura here speaks all three dialects."

"How did you-" Nyota began to speak before Captain Pike cut in.

"Is that true Cadet?" Captain Pike asked.

"Yes...sir." Nyota answered.

"Uhura, relieve the lieutenant." Captain Pike said.

"Yes, sir." Nyota said and just as she turned to relieve the lieutenant from his station our eyes met and I couldn't help but give her a subtle wink.

"Hannity, hail the U.S.S. Truman." Captain Pike ordered.

"All the other ships are out of warp, sir, and have arrived at Vulcan, but we seem to have lost all contact." Hannity reported.

"Sir, I pick up no Romulan transmission, or transmission of any kind in the area." Nyota also reported.

"It's because they're being attacked." Jim answered.

Captain Pike turned back to his chair and as calmly as any Captain could while facing an unknown situation gave his orders to the crew with precision.

"Shields up. Red alert." Captain Pike said as he took a seat, the alarms overhead going off throughout the whole ship. "DeLuca."

"Sir." I stood at attention.

"To your station," Captain Pike said. "and be prepared for anything."

"Yes, Captain." I nodded my head as I went straight to my standing station. Tapping into the holographic screen as I brought up the schematics for the Enterprise along with opening all communications from any station to me.

"Arrival at Vulcan in five seconds." Sulu reported as the whole crew looked on in anticipation at what we will actually see when we reach the end of our destination. "Four, three, two..."

The second we came out of warp we were greeted by rubble and debris of what used to be starships, and we were just about to crash into what used to be the hull of one of them.

"Emergency evasive!" Captain Pike ordered.

"On it, sir." Sulu called. "DeLuca! Support!

"Got you covered!" I called as I began moving around my station as we all felt the starship dip.

As I pushed more buttons, I saw Sulu pull on a lever as everyone was almost thrown to the left, myself included banging my side against my panel before I quickly recovered. I was still attempting to act as support as we tried to maneuver our way through the countless debris that was in our way. From my station I could see slight damages popping up as metal started scraping against our hull, our viewscreen getting pelted by some stray metal that broke apart, and some slight damages were showing up on certain levels though nothing major from what I could tell.

"Damage report!" Captain Pike yelled above the wailing alarms.

"Deflector shields are holding!" I reported and from my earpiece I could hear people reporting in.

"All stations?" Captain Pike asked.

"All stations are reporting no major damage, sir," I listened carefully, singling out each voice and where on the station they could be reporting from before I realized I haven't heard from one specific location. "I'm getting no response from engineering."

"Engineer Olson, report!" Captain Pike called as he opened his communication on his end though he heard none answering his call.

"I've finally got Olson, reports no damage...at least none that he can't take care of." I said as I looked at the viewscreen seeing that we were about to hit another broken hull.

"Full reverse. Come about starboard 90 degrees." Captain Pike said. "Drop us down underneath them, Sulu."

While I was occupied answering my communications, communicating with others, and assisting Sulu while he did the manual maneuvering I heard more screeching of metal against metal. This time on my screen the top of our propulsion units pulsed red indicating damage.

Through the damage, through the mayhem at the very end was a ship. A ship I have never seen before in any data logs...it was huge and overbearing, and this was the ship that took down Klingon warbirds...took down a fleet of starships! And here we were, staring it down as it bared down upon us.

"Captain, they're locking torpedoes." Spock reported.

"Divert auxiliary power from port nacelles to forward shield." Captain Pike issued his command as I saw from the enemy ship fire multiple missiles headed our way.

"All personal brace for impact!" I called through my end a shipwide announcement.

Sulu had tried to move the ship away in hopes to avoid the missiles, but a few had hit. I was getting reports that one of our medical bays had been hit along with some floors in the secondary hull and our science division floors.

"Sulu, status report." Captain Pike asked.

"Shields at 32%. Their weapons are powerful, sir. We can't take another hit like that." Sulu voiced his concern.

"Get me Starfleet Command." Captain Pike requested.

"Captain, the Romulan ship has lowered some kind of high-energy pulse device into the Vulcan atmosphere. Its signal appears to be blocking our communications and transporter abilities." Spock reported his find.

"All power to forward shields. Prepare to fire all weapons." Captain Pike ordered.

"Engineering, prepare to fire all weapons." I repeated for those in Engineering to begin loading all the weapons to full.

"Captain, we're being hailed." Nyota relayed to Captain Pike, and on our viewscreen a man with tattoos on his forehead and pointed ears blurred into existence.

"Hello." The Romulan greeted.

"I'm Captain Christopher Pike. To whom am I speaking?" Captain Pike asked.

"Hi, Christopher. I'm Nero." The Romulan, now known as Nero, greeted.

"You've declared war against the Federation. Withdraw, I'll agree to arrange a conference with Romulan leadership at a neutral location." Captain Pike recited with such firm conviction.

"I do not speak for the Empire. We stand apart." Nero cut into Captain Pike's speech as his head turned to the side, his eyes training not on Captain Pike but the person behind him. "As does your Vulcan crew member. Isn't that right, Spock?"

Spock got up from his hair to address Nero, though he wasn't sure why the Romulan seemed so familiar with him.

"Pardon me, I do not believe that you and I are acquainted." Spock said as he stepped forward, staring the Romulan on the screen down.

"No, we're not. Not yet. Spock, there's something I would like you to see" Nero said which only confused Spock and everyone else on the bridge even more. "Captain Pike, your transporter has been disabled. As you can see by the rest of your armada, you have no choice. You will man a shuttle and come aboard the Narada for negotiations. That is all." And just like that Nero ended communication's leaving us to turn to Captain Pike for orders on what to do next.

Captain Pike slowly got up from his chair and began to move toward the door to exit the bridge before Jim and Spock spoke up their concern.

"He'll kill you. You know that." Jim stated.

"Your survival is unlikely." Spock added.

"Captain, we gain nothing by diplomacy. Going over to that ship is a mistake." Jim urged Captain Pike to reconsider his choice.

"I, too, agree. You should rethink your strategy." Spock backed Jim up.

"I understand that." Captain Pike said, already having taken their caution to heart. "I need officers who've been trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat."

"I have training, sir." Sulu said as he raised his hand.

"Come with me. Kirk, you, too." Captain Pike said as he began to leave. "You're not supposed to be here anyway."

"Shall I come too, Captain?" I asked from my station.

"As good at hand-to-hand combat as you are DeLuca, I need you here on the bridge." Captain Pike said as he began to leave with Sulu, Spock and Jim trailing behind him. "You have the conn until Spock returns."

"Y...Yes Captain." I sighed as I went back to my station. 'I just hope I'm just watching over the chair and Spock returns quickly…'

"Permission to speak freely Commander?" Leonard said as he came to stand by my station.

"Permission granted Doctor McCoy." I said as I started relaying information to crew members who were writing into me, giving me a brief report on all levels.

"For someone with anxiety about captaining a ship, your station heavily revolves around giving orders and guidance throughout the levels of a starship." Leonard said with a smirk on his face.

"Giving orders and support is easy, but captaining a ship...being a captain is a different story. Too much pressure to act a certain way, to never show any weakness, to always be paragons of virtue and all your men looking to you to lead by example. That gives me anxiety...I'd much rather offer assistance and be a guide than lead and make on the fly decisions that may risk the lives of an entire ship. The thought of having the weight of so many lives depending on me to make those hard decisions...that I cannot do. If that makes sense? I'm complicated that way." I said as I began working quickly to answer some reports coming into my comm. "And since I have you here Doctor McCoy, you're needed in sickbay...they're calling all medical officers to their stations. I'm trying to get in touch with Doctor Puri, but I can't seem to get a hold of him."

"Understood Captain." Leonard remarked as I gave him a slight glare to which he responded by rolling his eyes. "Don't give me that look. You are, in a sense, the acting captain."


	6. Acting Captain DeLuca

"Spock to Commander DeLuca." My comm pinged from an intercom that was close to the lift that led to the shuttlebay.

"DeLuca here. Everything okay Commander Spock? Has Captain Pike and his team reached shuttlebay?" I spoke as I continued to work.

"Captain Pike and the away team are on their way and preparing for departure. The Captain has left me in command of the Enterprise and has promoted Kirk to first officer." Spock informed me. "I'm headed back to the bridge."

"Understood Captain." I said as I ended our communication. I felt...in my element, being able to multitask to this level wasn't a problem. I heard the main turbo lift to the bridge open, and without even looking I knew who it was. "Captain on the bridge."

Spock moved with haste to the Captain's chair, sitting down before pressing the button to hail who he was searching for.

"Doctor Puri, report." Spock called.

"It's McCoy. Doctor Puri was on Deck 6. He's dead." Leonard's voice came through the intercom to inform Spock.

"Then you have just inherited his responsibility as chief medical officer." Spock responded.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know." Leonard bit back. I heard the stress in his voice due to, what I could imagine, the absolute chaos in his medbay.

"Shall I report to Doctor McCoy to offer my assistance?" I asked Spock who merely shook his head.

"Though Kirk was promoted to first officer, with him gone should I suddenly become unavailable I need you to take command." Spock said as he looked at me expectantly.

"Understood Captain." I said before I heard Captain Pike through my earpiece. On command I opened the shuttlebay doors for Captain Pike to fly through as I watched the little blip on my screen move away from the starship. "Shuttle commander, sir...Captain Pike, you are clear from U.S.S. Enterprise airspace."

For a while the shuttle drifted toward the Romulan ship before I heard Captain Pike wish his away team good luck. "Kirk, Sulu and Olson has separated from the shuttle."

On the viewing screen we could see Jim, Sulu, and Engineer Olson as colored blips as they began their descent toward the drill, dropping at an alarming rate as the meters began to count down.

"Away team is entering the atmosphere, sir. Twenty thousand meters." Chekov reported as we watched the number reach close to five thousand. "Approaching the platform at 5,800 meters."

"Kirk to Enterprise." Jim's voice chimed in through his helmet. "Distance to target, 5,000 meters."

"Forty-six hundred meters from the platform." Chekov counted before Sulu added in. "Forty-five hundred meters to target."

"Four thousand meters." Jim reported.

"Three thousand meters." Olson called.

"Two thousand meters." Jim said.

"Pulling chute." Sulu said as the yellow blip on the screen suddenly started to slow its descent along with the blue blip. Though Olson kept shooting down.

"Two thousand meters!" Olson yelled.

"Come on, pull your chute, Olson!" Jim urged the man as I watched him get closer and closer to the platform.

"No, not yet! Not yet! 1,500 meters!" Olson yelled.

"Olson, open your chute!" Sulu yelled, having enough of the adrenaline junkie.

"Olson, pull your chute!" Jim yelled as we heard Olson cheer through his communication device.

"One thousand meters!" Olson yelled in triumph before he finally pulled for his chute, his descent slow, but he had pulled it too late as I watched his name and the red blip on the screen disappear.

"O-Olson is gone, sir!" Chekov stuttered.

"DeLuca to Kirk, if you can hear me, Olson had the charges." I reminded him as I connected my comm to his. "Enterprise cannot beam you up unless you get rid of that drill. You must improvise Kirk."

"Kind of busy here Commander." Jim's voice came through to my end only. I heard him grunt as I watched his name hover on the platform.

"Sorry!" I said quietly before watching the screen intensely.

"Kirk has landed, sir." Chekov turned to inform Spock.

All that was left was for Sulu to land, and it was nerve wracking after having seen Olson vanish like he did. We needed their mission to be a success if we had any hope to save them.

Though something looked off as I watched Jim's signal, while Sulu was busy trying to land on top the platform Jim's signal was being erratically moving from side to side. Once Sulu was able to gain his footing his signal almost mimicked Jim's. 'I can only assume they've been engaged by some Romulans that were stationed to work the device...'

Jim and Sulu's signal finally looked stable before my computer whirred to life showing me that all jamming capabilities had ceased and our ship was back to working order.

"The jamming signal's gone. Transport abilities are reestablished." Nyota reported from her station.

"Transporter control is engaged, sir." Chekov added in.

"Chekov, run gravitational sensors. I want to know what they are doing to the planet." Spock ordered.

"Aye, Commander." Chekov said before doing a double take at his blunder. "Captain. Sorry. Captain."

I couldn't help but let out a laugh at how adorable the kid was. With the constant transferring of titles I can understand how confusing things can get aboard a starship.

"Kirk to Enterprise. They just launched something at the planet through the hole they just drilled." Jim reported in before yelling into his commlink. "Do you copy enterprise?"

"Enterprise copies Kirk." I responded as I looked at the screen in front of me, the multiple open windows showing the planet and what was happening on the surface.

"DeLuca, sending data to your screen." A crew member called to me as I began looking at the data they collected. Making sure to document everything for the ships log.

"Captain, gravitational sensors are off the scale. If my calculations are correct, they're creating a singularity that will consume the planet." Chekov reported the findings as he turned to Spock.

"They're creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?" Spock questioned as he put two and two together.

"Yes, sir." Chekov confirmed.

"How long does the planet have?" Spock asked.

"Minutes, sir. Minutes." Chekov grimly responded before Spock got up from the chair and went over to Nyota.

"Alert Vulcan Command Center to signal a planet-wide evacuation, all channels, all frequencies. Maintain standard orbit." Spock began giving out commands.

"Spock." Nyota called to the Captain as he headed toward the turbo lift, following him as he went. "Spock, wait!"

"DeLuca-" Spock began to say just before he entered the lift.

"I understand what must be done." I answered without looking back, my eyes still focused on my screen in front of me. "Be safe Captain."

"Where are you going?" Nyota asked.

"To evacuate the Vulcan High Council. They are tasked with protecting our cultural history. My parents will be among them." Spock answered.

"Can't you beam them out?" Nyota asked with concern for Spock's safety.

"It will be impossible. They will be in the katric ark. I must get them myself." Spock reasoned just as the lift closed. "DeLuca, ships under your command."

"Lieutenant Uhura." I called as I continued to work, assisting in doing just as Spock had commanded. "Please report back to your station and assist in relaying the signal for a planet-wide evacuation." I moved over to my transfer button and continued to speak without missing a beat. "Transporter room, standby. Captain Spock is on his way."

"Kirk to Enterprise! Beam us out of here!" Jim yelled.

"Stand by Kirk. We're locking onto your signal." I relayed the information. "Transporter room ready when you are."

"Ready to beam up." Transporter responded.

But just as the crewman manning the transporter was ready to beam Jim and Sulu up, their dots on our screen started to move.

"I can't lock on to you. Don't move. Don't move!" The transporter chief called through the commlink. I watched as Jim and Sulu's signal began to fall toward the planet's surface, and the transporter room trying desperately to lock onto their coordinates. Jim made contact mid fall as the two began to spiral out of control.

"Kirk to Enterprise! We're falling without a chute! Beam us up!" Jim begged.

"I'm trying. I can't lock on to your signal. You're moving too fast." The transporter chief responded as Jim called back to beam them up.

I bit my thumb nervously as I watched them attempt to hold the signal, if we couldn't lock on...we'd lose them. 'Jim…'

"I can do that." I heard Chekov mutter ever so quietly before I turned my gaze to him.

"Mister Chekov, if you think you have the capabilities to lock on to their signal then make your way to the transporter room post haste!" I ordered with urgency, feeling my heartbeat picking up for I knew time was against us. "I want those men back on this ship!"

"Aye Captain!" Chekov said as he rushed out of the bridge.

"The black hole's expanding. We won't reach minimum safe distance if we don't leave immediately." A woman beside Nyota reported to me.

"We'll stay in orbit till our men are back and safe on the ship." I responded before linking into the transporter room. "Transport, keep trying to lock onto their signal. And please inform me when Mister Chekov has reached your station."

"Understood ma'am." The transporter room responded.

"Beam us up!" Jim's voice continued to yell. "Enterprise, where are you!"

"Captain, Chekov has reached the transporter room." The comm in the transporter room pinged.

"Is Kirk and Sulu back on board the Enterprise?" I called as I listened to the rushed chaos going on in the transporter room, distantly hearing Chekov in the background before everything went silent. "Transporter room respond!"

"Mister Kirk and Mister Sulu are back and safely aboard the Enterprise ma'am." Someone finally responded. "Captain Spock is beaming down to the surface of Vulcan."

"Is that DeLuca?" I heard before the person speaking to me vanished only to be replaced by Jim's voice. "Hey **_Captain_**."

"Acting Captain." I countered. "Damage report?"

"A few scratches here and there." Jim responded. "Nothing we can handle. Though Spock's beamed down to Vulcan"

"I know, he's gone to fetch the Vulcan High Council. Relay to Mister Chekov to remain in the transporter room and wait for Spock's command." I said, finally letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Good job gentlemen."

"Thank you Captain DeLuca." Sulu's voice could be heard before Jim decided to make a small comment. "You know Ally, for someone who said they can't handle being a captain due to anxiety, you're doing a great job so far."

"Oh my anxiety is through the roof. I could go for a good drink right about now." I whispered as I continued to work at my station, now worried immensely for Spock's wellbeing and his family. "But it is my duty to hold the conn until you or Spock returns whether I want to or not, and captaining is in my blood so it's kind of a given. By the way congratulations on the promotion."

"Wait, what do you mean captaining is in your blood?" Jim asked.

"A story for another time." I pushed his question aside. "If I'm feeling generous I may tell you about it. Not making any promises."

"I'll hold you to that." Jim said and I could hear the smirk he probably has on his face right about now.

"Don't get your hopes up Kirk. Standby in the transporter room to assist Captain Spock, keep this channel open." I said before opening up a channel to sickbay. "McCoy?"

"McCoy here…" McCoy said before a few seconds of silence passed by. "Captain?"

"Status update Doctor, damage report of both crew and medbay." I responded.

"We've...have stability...or some form of stability." Leonard said. "Can't say how much crewman casualties at the moment."

"We can take head count and honor our fallen after we're out of this mess." I said. "Kirk and Sulu have returned and Captain Spock has beamed down to Vulcan. Standby to receive more patients."

"Make sure Jim pays me a visit, he tends to avoid medbays like the plague." Leonard said before I heard his end cut out.

"Spock to Enterprise. Get us out now." Spock suddenly commed in.

"Locking wvolume. Don't move. Stay right where you are." Chekov responded. "Transport in five, four, three, two…" There was a second of silence before I heard Chekov begin to panic as the alarms began to wail. "I'm losing her! I'm losing her! No! I lost her...I lost her."

"Captain! We've got the Vulcan High Council and Mister Spock safe aboard the Enterprise " The transporter room chimed in.

"Helmsman get us out of here!" I ordered as I ran toward the navigation station to assist the helmsman. "Get us to a safe distance from the black hole."

"Aye Captain!" the helmsman beside me said as we began to maneuver the Enterprise away from the imminent danger.

As we moved the Enterprise away, from the viewscreen we heard the sound of thunder, flashes of light from the center of the hole where the drill had dug. Vulcan was swallowed by the black hole in a blink of an eye leaving no evidence that Vulcan was ever there or ever existed.

"Orbiting at a safe distance." The helmsman reported as we finally had a moment of rest after being in such a tense situation.

"DeLuca to transporter room, any casualties?" I called through my earpiece.

"One…" Jim answered. "Spock's mother…"

'Oh Spock…' I thought. I wanted to run to the transporter room and speak to Spock. I could only imagine what he must be feeling right about now, but...I knew right now I was needed on the bridge.

"To any available medical officers, report to the transporter room for civilian evaluation." I called as I tapped the transfer button on the captain's chair to contact the transporter chief, or anyone who was there to answer. "Transporter room this is DeLuca. I have some medical officers headed your way to assist with any injured."

"Loud and clear ma'am." Someone responded.

"Please tell Captain Spock that we are orbiting at a safe distance and awaiting his orders." I said. "DeLuca out."

I bent over and leaned on the chair, willing my heart to calm down while also hoping no one had heard me as I internally died of embarrassment. 'DeLuca out! Note to self never say that again…ugh, my heart won't stop beating! I feel like I want to vomit...'

"Commander." I looked up to see that Nyota was looking at me with worry as she came to stand beside me. "Commander...would you want to take a walk with me?"

"I can't Lieutenant." I said with a shake of my head as I tried to compose myself. "With Captain Spock back on board, I must head to medbay to offer my assistance."

Nyota came over, tapped a button on the captain's chair and I heard Leonard's voice come through the intercom.

"Captain?" Leonard asked, his voice sounding exhausted on his end.

"Doctor McCoy, it's Lieutenant Uhura." Nyota began to speak. "Please inform Captain Spock that Commander DeLuca is taking a walk. I'm sure Captain Spock will understand."

The line went silent for a bit before Leonard's voice came through once more.

"Captain Spock understood and he will report to the bridge when he is cleared from my sickbay." Leonard relayed. "Lieutenant Uhura? If Commander DeLuca is unwell please tell her to pay my office a visit."

Nyota cut the line before she looked at me expectantly.

"Walk with me Lieutenant…" I sighed as I stood up straight and made my way off the bridge.

The hallways were empty, every able bodied crewmen were working double whether it be attending to injured crewmen or fixing the damage aboard the Enterprise leaving Nyota and myself to walk without being disturbed.

"Commander?" Nyota began to speak. "Permission to drop formalities."

"Permission granted Lieutenant." I said as I kept my hands to my side, my gaze forward as we continued to walk.

"Allyson…" Nyota said as she quickly caught up to walk beside me. "are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I sighed before shaking my head. "No, I'm not. My heart's racing a mile a minute, I was worried about losing Sulu and Kirk, losing men while the ship was under my command, worried about the men on this ship, and my friend just lost his home. I'm a worried mess."

"I saw how tense you were on the bridge," Nyota made a comment of her observation. "you were biting your thumb, fidgeting from side to side…"

"That obvious?" I asked as I stopped in the middle of the hallway to look back at Nyota who simply shook her head.

"Only obvious if you were paying close attention." Nyota smiled a shy smile. "So I thought maybe a walk would clear your mind….and maybe a trip to Doctor McCoy."

"I'll take McCoy up on the offer for a visit…" I mumbled as we continued walking.

"Might I ask you something Allyson?" Nyota asked.

"Ask away?" I said as we turned right into another long hallway.

"Spock and myself, our relationship is still...unexplored, and with us being SoulMate's it's all new to us. I'm still getting used to the side of him that suppresses his emotion while Spock's getting used to my...outward emotions. I understand him, and don't want to push him to be open about his emotions." Nyota looked to the ground. "You've known Spock longer then I have...and I can't imagine how he must be feeling, and having to keep it in."

I stopped walking once more and turned to Nyota as the two of us stood face to face.

"I'll let you in on something that I found while studying SoulMarks and SoulMates." I said to Nyota. "Though any relationship is always new and unknown, when it comes to SoulMates it comes naturally. The longer you're together the more you start to understand each other without having to say anything. Just give it time, you'll be able to tell what Spock is thinking without him having to say."

"I understand that, and I'm still so very sorry for what happened back on Earth with the whole animosity I held toward you." Nyota continued. "You have a special place in Spock's heart that I'm sure for now...you're able to understand him better than I can at this point. Can you speak to him for me?"

"I was already planning to find Spock and talk to him if we find time." I said. "With Captain Pike gone, Spock and Kirk at each other's throat, my hands will be full trying to keep the peace between the two as we try to find control over our current unknown situation. But when I see the opportunity I was going to offer Spock my shoulder to lean on...it's what we've always done back at the academy."

I nodded toward a medical crewman that bowed apologetically before running in the direction we were headed before addressing Nyota.

"I'll be headed toward medbay, please head back to the bridge." I tapped my hip. "I have my personal communicator on me or you can call for McCoy should you need me."

"Understood." Nyota said as I bid her goodbye as I made my way to the medbay.

"Knock knock…" I made myself known as soon as the doors to opened.

"Commander DeLuca." Leonard's voice called from somewhere further into the room. "Give me one second I'll be right with you."

I walked further to where I assumed Leonard was to see him examining one of our crew members before giving him the all clear, telling him to report to his room for rest. Though he looked fine he wasn't ready to be back to work.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Doctor?" I asked as I came to stand by the bed Leonard was leaning against.

"We're good here, you on the other hand...follow me." Leonard said as he placed his hand on my lower back and began leading me to a room further in the back of the medbay. "This would've been Doctor Puri's office, but he never got to use it before his death. So, due to his passing and my promotion this is now my office."

Leonard punched in the passcode to the office and when the door opened he held out his hand to allow me to enter first before following after me with the door sliding shut behind him.

"How are you holding up?" Leonard asked as he went to sit at his desk.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I asked back as I leaned on the wall by the door. "Sounded quite stressful when I would comm you."

"This line of work is always stressful, add space into the equation and that doubles no...triples my stress level." Leonard sighed.

"I'm sorry I didn't come down to help you…" I looked at Leonard sadly.

"No, you were needed on the bridge." Leonard shook his head. "Without you, no one would be in charge."

"I'm sure they would've done well without me…" I sighed as I went over to sit across from him.

"You were doing great captaining the ship." Leonard commented. "And you were doing well helping out the stations, I heard you whenever you would check in."

"That's good to hear...I was a nervous wreck being in charge of this ship…" I mumbled as I face planted onto Leonard's desk. "my heart still won't stop beating so fast."

"Breathe Allyson." Leonard advised as he reached across to lift my head up. "It's over, and you did wonderful."

"Did I sound scared?" I asked. "Did I sound nervous?"

"You put on a good poker face." Leonard smiled and I couldn't help but smile back, his smile was infectious. "After all this is over, we'll have a drink."

"Funny, I'm sitting on the opposite end this time." I said as I sat up and leaned back into the chair I was sitting on.

"This is my office," Leonard motioned around. "would be odd for you to be seated where I am."

"I could easily take your chair from you." I giggled.

"I'm sure it would be so easy." Leonard said. "All you'd have to do is ask."

The two of us laughed, and it was welcoming after all that we just went through.

"I know it took a lot for you to take command like you did with both the Captain and First Officer gone. So, I thought I'd return the favor." Leonard said. "If you ever need someone to talk to Allyson, my office doors are always opened. No invitation required, feel free to barge in if you want."

"Thank you Leonard."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever been told to lead, realize you aren't trained for it but you can't give control to anyone else because in reality you're the highest in command at the moment so you have to act like you can lead? Yeah, acting through the panic and anxiety while keeping a poker face and then coming down from it is exhausting lol I can speak from experience.


	7. Next Plan of Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews, follows, and favorites! Everything you do, from reading to leaving a nice little review, always brightens my day so I hope that you are enjoying my story! Happy reading!
> 
> I'd like to emphasis that this is a Leonard x OC x Khan story. But the friendship between Spock and Allyson runs deep. (And because Spock is another favorite character of mine I wanted my OC to have a friendship/sibling connection to him which hopefully explains why they can speak so natural with each other).

"Lieutenant Uhura to Doctor McCoy. I can't get in touch with Commander DeLuca. Please let her know Captain Spock has left the bridge. She'll...understand." Leonard's comm on his desk pinged, interrupting our power nap. We had fallen asleep in our chairs after exhaustion took over our bodies that the sudden noise had startled us awake. Leonard rubbed the back of his neck to relieve the kink before leaning over and pushing the answer button.

"McCoy here. I will inform Commander DeLuca." Leonard said before ending the call and looking toward me. "You're needed on the bridge I suppose."

"No, this is something else." I smiled at Leonard before reaching over his desk. "Computer, locate Captain Spock."

"Captain Spock. Location: main turbolift." The computer showed a schematic of the Enterprise, zeroing in on the turbolift that had come down from the bridge.

"Odd." Leonard said as he looked at his computer with me. "The lifts not moving, is it broken?"

"Negative. Emergency stop button manually activated." The computer responded.

As I watched the computer, the turbolift began to move once more and the large blip that I had assumed was Spock split. One being left in the lift as another moved away. I coughed awkwardly, already figuring out what could've happened before tapping the computer again. "Computer. According to Spock's course, determine his target destination."

The computer sounded as if it was filing through many possibilities before a resounding single beep indicated that it had come up with an answer. "Transporter room."

"Duty calls." I said as I got up from the chair. "See you around Leonard. I'll be back to claim that drink."

"I look forward to your next visit." Leonard's last words before the door closed.

* * *

"Spock…" I called out softly as I entered the transporter room, seeing Spock standing with his back toward me at the bottom of the steps leading to the transporter.

He didn't say a word, didn't acknowledge I was there, and though our friendship didn't depend on words I could feel such sorrow radiating off his body without him needing to say. I turned to the woman and the man that was working away at their station.

"Lieutenant Wynter, could you two leave us alone for a bit." I asked, smiling as Wynter nodded and took her underling with her. "I'll be sure to comm you should an emergency arise."

I made sure that the door slid shut, activating its lock mechanic before turning back to Spock. "They're gone Spock, it's just the two of us."

Again, Spock said nothing and continued to stare into the transporter. I let out a quiet sigh before walking forward to stand beside Spock, clasping my hands behind my back as the two of us stood in silence.

"Commander DeLuca," Spock said as I heard his voice crack just a tiny bit, but not noticeable enough for anyone to hear if they were around. "you should report to the bridge, I will be there shortly."

"Spock," I said as I continued to stand beside the Vulcan. "I won't be going to the bridge without you."

"But the bridge needs-" Spock began to speak, but I had cut him off. "Kirk is more than capable of babysitting the chair for a few minutes. My immediate attention and presence is needed elsewhere."

Spock didn't reply back, I don't think he could in all honesty. My illogical way of thinking, being fueled by emotions, and the fact that I was as stubborn as a mule prevented him from changing my mind. He's tried before, but he failed...and he was too stubborn to admit that he failed so we were always at a standoff.

"Remember when we were back in the academy?" I suddenly said knowing full well that Spock was listening though he didn't look to be. "You came into my room, not saying a word, but I knew something was wrong. So we sat on my bed back to back and just...sat in silence. Listening to the passing cadets that passed by my room, to the wind that came through my window, the birds singing just outside. I didn't ask you what was wrong, I didn't think I needed to. But just that single moment of silence was enough to lighten the load off your shoulder."

"...I remember." Spock said. "Just like on Vulcan, cadets thought it would be entertaining to try and elicit a human response from me. But I've grown from my adolescence phase and nothing they said brought about such a response."

"But deep down it did," I said, now understanding why Spock had seeked my presence. "the current situation can never compare to our academy days, I would never compare now to then, but just like back then I'd gladly offer my comfort in the form of silence." I turned back to staring at the lights in the room. "Hence, why I won't head to the bridge without you until you feel you are ready to face our crew."

"...thank you, Allyson." Spock said after a couple minutes of silence. "Though...if I remember correctly. You weren't silent for very long when I seeked your comfort. You told me about your studies."

I lightly chuckled. "Yeah, I thought that by talking about something knowledgeable it would take your mind off of your troubles. It's a human thing, I thought it would work."

"It did." Spock said as he turned to look at me. "Thank you."

The two of us, in unison, went over to sit on the chairs by the station of the transporter room. We sat in silence, and I was taken back to my dorm room. Two adults just sitting and basically meditating, and just like back then I was tempted to talk to Spock about my findings...I guess it was the side of me that wanted Spock's mind to be focused elsewhere.

"When I was little…" I cut the silence as I saw the corner of Spock's lip tug up in an almost smirk, I'm sure remembering just as I have how I had changed the topic back then as well. "children would romanticize and fantasize the concept of SoulMarks. Children would show off their Marks to their friends, and I had wanted to be just like them. I showed them to my friend at the time, and instead of getting the same reaction...I was demoralized and shamed."

"You had said your Mark is the inspiration behind your extensive research, wanting to further educate yourself and others about something we still can't fully comprehend." Spock said as I nodded.

"My parents told me not to show them to anyone, they were furious when they found out." I said as I fidgeted with the sleeves of my uniform. "I haven't shown anyone since then in fear of a repeat reaction."

"Why?" Spock asked as his eyes traveled to my sleeves.

"Because...while others were ever only born with one, I seemed to be the only person I've found who was born with two living Mates." I smiled. "It was shameful, my parents said. It doesn't affect me as much now...with being estranged from my family, but it still bothers me. That lingering feeling of fear and anxiety." I patted my right wrist. "I'm stronger now then I was back then, and with me taking that step to leave my family's shadow I actually found my SoulMate in the process."

"On the Enterprise." Spock deduced.

"A few days ago actually." I said as I lifted my sleeves just enough to show my names. Both were written on the inner side of my wrist going horizontal left to right. "I didn't understand the placement, but I know when I was little they were meant for me to read because they would only be special to me. After the incident I considered it a curse, but as I grew up and apart from my family they became...a symbol of hope. A reminder that there's someone who would want me."

"This…" Spock said as he saw the cursive 'L', the bottom line extending out and curled, almost acting as an underline for the letters that followed. It was all in thick beautiful cursive and if the light caught the ink it looked to sparkle hazel. "L.Bones?"

I nodded my head "Leonard McCoy. Kirk's nickname for him is-"

"Bones. I heard it on the bridge, yet I have no inkling why." Spock finished as he turned to my left wrist. The second name on my wrist was simple, my guess was sans-serif, an old type of font I had studied up on. It was angled slightly and outlined in a dark silver, almost grey in color. "KHAN?"

"Unique names, but they were mine." I said as I rolled my sleeves back down. "I haven't spoken to Leonard about it yet though I've wanted to, and I have yet seen my own. But there's something there, I can feel it. You're the first person since I was a child that I've shown this to."

"I appreciate the trust you have in me." Spock said.

"You've shown me yours, it only seemed natural that I'd confide in you as well." I smiled at Spock. "Did my rambling help?"

Spock shook his head, but there was a slight smile on his face. The air in this room felt less suffocating and dark, now we were just sitting in content silence. Though brief it would be I did exactly what I did back when we were cadets.

"Captain Spock. Commander DeLuca." The comm in the transporter room whirred to life. "Requesting your presence on the bridge."

"Understood. We're on our way." Spock responded as the two of us got to our feet to make our way back to the bridge. "Before we return to the matters at hand, I want to express my gratitude once more."

"There's no need for it, Spock." I said as I unlocked the door. "We are friends after all."

* * *

Spock and myself were the last to arrive on the bridge. Nyota looked at me expectantly and I could only hold out my hand and tilt it left to right to indicate it only partially worked. It wasn't a permanent help, but it seemed to have distracted Spock just a bit.

"Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?" Spock asked Nyota as I went over to stand beside Leonard which was conveniently right at my station while Spock continued to walk forward.

"Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain." Nyota responded respectfully.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Spock said as he walked up to the viewscreen as Leonard and myself exchanged a small smile.

"Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet's a target." Jim said as he sat in the Captain's chair.

"Out of the chair." Spock chided as he walked up the steps toward my station causing Jim to roll his eyes and oblige to his silly command that didn't seem like a problem Spock should be concerned about.

"Well, if the Federation is a target, why didn't they destroy us?" Chekov asked.

"Why would they?" Sulu responded. "Why waste a weapon? We obviously weren't a threat."

"That is not it." Spock said as he made his way around the consoles and back to the viewscreen, his sights set on the view in front of us as he continued to think of all the possibilities. "He said he wanted me to see something, the destruction of my home planet."

"How the hell did they do that, by the way?" Leonard spoke up. "I mean, where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?"

"The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer." Spock said as he turned to address us. "Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time."

'From the future…' I thought as I started to think. 'logically...weaponry like his as advanced as it is...could only mean just that. Though the possibility of jumping to the past has never been done in our lifetime...the future maybe.'

"Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist." Leonard lashed out. "Are you actually suggesting they're from the future?"

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Spock responded back.

"How poetic." Leonard scoffed as he came back to my side.

"Then what would an angry future Romulan want with Captain Pike?" Jim asked.

"As Captain, he does know details of Starfleet's defenses." Sulu answered Jim's question.

"What we need to do is catch up to that ship," Jim said as he pushed off the guard rails. "disable it, take it over and get Pike back."

"We are technologically outmatched in every way. A rescue attempt would be illogical." Spock rebuked Jim's suggestion.

"Nero's ship would have to drop out of warp for us to overtake them." Chekov offered his insight.

"Then what about assigning engineering crews to try and boost our warp yield?" Jim offered another suggestion.

"Remaining crew are repairing radiation leaks on the lower decks…" Spock said as he turned back to the viewscreen. _**"Okay! Alright!"**_ Jim cut in trying to prevent Spock from continuing further. "...and damage to subspace communications, without which we cannot contact Starfleet." _**"There's got to be someway…"**_ Jim cut in as he and Spock now stood face to face.

"We must gather with the rest of Starfleet to balance the terms of the next engagement." Spock said.

"There won't be a next engagement. By the time we've gathered, it'll be too late." Jim argued. "But you say he's from the future, knows what's gonna happen? Then the logical thing is to be unpredictable."

"He may be from the future, but that doesn't mean that he now knows what's going to happen." I said from my station as I leaned onto my area. "By my assumption if we start thinking of the impossible and improbable. Nero being here, interfering with a set chain of events, altering it...created something new. We are traveling now on a separate timeline, he has changed his history while our future is now rewritten."

"Precisely," Spock nodded to me before looking back at Jim. "and it began with the attack on the U.S.S. Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party."

"An alternate reality." Nyota stepped forward.

"As Commander DeLuca has stated. Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed." Spock said as he walked back to the Captain's chair and took a seat. "Mister Sulu, plot a course for the Laurentian system, warp factor 3."

"Spock, don't do that." Jim begged as he walked up to Spock. "Running back to the rest of the fleet for a confab is a massive waste of time."

"These are the orders issued by Captain Pike when he left the ship." Spock reasoned.

"He also ordered us to go back and get him." Jim tried to breathe and speak reasonably with Spock. "Spock, you are Captain now. You have to make…"

"I am aware of my responsibilities, Mister Kirk." Spock said.

"Every second we waste, Nero's getting closer to his next target." Jim was getting angrier by the second, I could feel it. While I could also feel Spock losing his patience with his first officer.

"That is correct and why I'm instructing you to accept the fact that I alone am in command." _**"I will not allow us to go backwards…"**_

"Jim, he's the Captain!" Leonard cut in as Jim's voice began to rise. _**"...away from the problem, instead of hunting Nero down!"**_

"Security," Spock stood from his chair and addressed the two security officers that had been summoned to oversee our briefing. "escort him out."

That look. I've seen that look before, and I knew something bad was going to happen. Jim wasn't going to back down without putting up a good fight. "Jim…" I maneuvered myself around Leonard, standing just in between Spock and Jim, holding out my hand to stop the two security officers from grabbing both of Jim's arms. "I understand your frustration, please don't do anything stupid." I stepped forward and whispered to Jim. "Go with them...let me talk to Spock."

Jim's blue eyes met my own before the two security personnel came to his side and started to shove him to get him to move, but knowing Jim...he wouldn't have listened.

Jim suddenly yanked his right arm out of the security to his right, staggering the poor man before Jim shoved him away to deal with the guy to the left.

"Enough Jim!" Leonard yelled as from behind me Spock stood up and walked past me toward the fight that started to escalate.

I looked on sadly and instinctively moved closer to Leonard who seemed to also gravitate closer to me, he seemed to be using his body to try and shield my view from the fight, but I could still see what was happening just slightly. Spock had reached out and placed his right hand on the right side at the base of Jim's neck. The Vulcan Nerve Pinch as Spock had explained, rendering Jim unconscious as he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Get him off this ship." Spock ordered as the two security personnel dragged Jim's body off the bridge. Spock then turned to address those that were present on the ship. "Everyone back to their stations, we will meet with the fleet in the Laurentian system. Regroup and lead a force to take down Nero. Mister Sulu, continue with our present course."

"Thank you…" I whispered as I reached out and gave Leonard's arm a comforting squeeze. "let's do as the Captain ordered."

Leonard could only nod as he turned to leave the bridge and I went back to my station. Seeing the coordinates that they were going to use to send Jim to I started to get nervous. 'Delta Vega. Class-M planet...seems to be an outpost that can retrieve Jim somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Damn it!' I sighed, wanting to punch my screen. 'I'm so sorry Jim…'

* * *

'I've been called back to the bridge.' I thought as I begrudgingly exited the turbolift and approached the captain's chair, my eyes briefly going toward where Allyson was working away turning around and around as she began monitoring...whatever she was monitoring before speaking up for the Captain to hear. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Doctor." Spock said as the Vulcan did a double take when he realized I had called to him. Spock stood from his chair and started walking which caused me to follow, the two of us passing by Allyson's station in the process. "I am aware that James Kirk is a friend of yours. I recognize that supporting me as you did must have been difficult."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Is that a thank-you?"

"I am simply acknowledging your difficulties." Spock looked over his shoulder at me as we continued walking.

"Permission to speak freely, sir." I said as I glared at the back of Spock's head before he stopped and turned to fully face me, the two of us out of earshot and out of view as we stood at the very front of the bridge behind a beam.

"I welcome it." Spock responded.

"Do you? Okay then." I looked around before letting Spock have what was on my mind. "Are you out of your Vulcan mind? Are you making a logical choice, sending Kirk away? Probably. But the right one? You know, back home we got a saying, 'if you're gonna ride in the Kentucky Derby, you don't leave your prize stallion in the stable.'"

"A curious metaphor, Doctor, as a stallion must first be broken before it can reach its potential." Spock said with a small smirk on his face...which only pissed me off more.

"My God, man, you could at least act like it was a hard decision!" I harshly spoke out.

"I intend to assist in the effort to reestablish communication with Starfleet." Spock stated. "However, if crew morale is better served by my roaming the halls weeping, I will gladly defer to your medical expertise."

The lift behind me sounded as Spock went from looking at me to looking past me. "Excuse me."

Spock stepped around me, leaving me to fume as much as I wanted. There was no point arguing with him! "Green-blooded hobgoblin."

"Don't let Spock get to you, he's always been like that." Allyson said as soon as I walked past her station.

"No point arguing with that pointy eared bastard..." I scoffed as Allyson let out a light chuckle. "You know, it's interesting watching you work. Since being on this bridge you haven't stopped moving."

"So, you've been watching me. I'm flattered." Allyson teased with a smile on her face though she looked to be contemplating something. "While we're waiting for us to reach the Laurentian system I was hoping that I could have a word with you."

"Ask away." I said. "Though might I ask what about?"

"It's a bit of a personal matter…" Allyson said as she shuffled nervously, I saw her hands shake just a bit before she continued to speak, though now more softer than before. "I was hoping to inquire about your SoulMark…"

I was a bit taken back by what Allyson had asked. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I...have a theory about something, and in order to prove my theory correct I wanted to confirm something." Allyson stuttered a bit and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"I didn't get my Mark till I was 6 which you know, and my Mark is located between my shoulder blades." I said. "I don't know what name is on my back, though my ex-wife had described it once. The font she said looked to be a complicated calligraphy writing that intertwined and the color faded from black to gold. She said it was so beautiful and eloquent. And sometimes she would argue with me about it. Honestly, how can someone be jealous of someone they hadn't met, not to mention something I have no control over."

"You weren't curious about your Mark?" Allyson questioned.

"Curious...I suppose a little." I shrugged my shoulders. "But it did cause my marriage a few troubles, so I tried as much to avoid asking."

Allyson's hand stilled in her work before she continued on, I felt that I may have said something that she wasn't expecting. She seemed a little ashamed and guilty, why would she have that type of reaction? Unless…

"Allyson…do you have my…"

"I'm sorry to bring it up." Allyson quickly apologized as she turned around to the clear screen behind her. "I didn't know your Mark caused you problems…"

I reached out to grab her right wrist though the moment I touched her I felt her tense under my hand.

"Allyson, I would like to speak to you once this is all over." I said, a silent plea as I gave her wrist a gentle squeeze.

"There's nothing much else to say…" Allyson said, her eyes avoiding mine.

"If you don't come to me, I'll drag you if I have to for an annual medical checkup." I said as I motioned for her to look at me. "I'd rather not resort to force, so please come so we can talk."

"If we survive this…" Allyson finally spoke after not uttering a word in what felt like forever.

"Thank you Allyson." I said as I smiled at her. "I want to talk, clear things up. Promise?"

"I promise Leonard." Allyson said, still avoiding my eyes.

"Hey," I said as I moved over to the screen she was looking at, startling her. Thank god for it being see through. "smile sweetheart, we'll talk in my office later and get it all aired out."

That caused her a smile, I'll keep that in mind. It suited her more than what I had seen, and it hurt when I realized I had been the cause of such a reaction. "There's those pearly whites."


	8. Only Together Shall We Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the kudos and comments! I apologize for not posting a new chapter last week. I had a headache that wouldn't go away for several days that prevented me from writing on my computer. I think I'm okay now so I will continue to try and update regularly. =)

From my station, an alert notified me of something wrong within the ship coming from Engineering. "Captain Spock, my computer has detected an unauthorized access to Water Turbine Control Board."

"Bring up the video." Spock said as I tapped on my screen and transferred the feed over to the viewscreen for us to watch.

From the feed I saw...Jim? Helping another man to his feet as they rushed left and out of the video feed. How the hell did he get back aboard this ship?

"Security, seal the Engineering Deck. We have intruders in Turbine Section 3." Spock ordered with a press of the button. "Set phaser to stun."

'Who was that man that was with Jim…' I thought as I leaned back on my controls. 'how is that even possible?'

I was exhausted, partially due to my work, but also because of the conversation I just had with Leonard. I had wanted to tell him and show him a glimpse of my Mark, but when he revealed to me how his Mark caused problems for his marriage...I panicked. My vibrato faltered and the courage I had worked up failed me. I began to worry if he held me accountable for his failed marriage though he had said he never saw his Mark. When he pieced it together that I possibly had his name, my heart sunk even more, and when he touched my Mark, his name...I felt a jolt run up my arm. Such a strong reaction that I've only studied about I finally felt and I was thrilled by such a reaction that only supported my theory, but I had been grounded by my conflicting feelings.

Guilt. Shame. Embarrassment. All those negative feelings I had when I was a child was brought forth in full and my thoughts were racing a mile a minute. I was reverted back to my childhood when I first showed my Mark to my friend...and I so badly wanted to try and scrub off my Marks like I had attempted to back then.

But Leonard...sweet Leonard with his adorable smile and his pet names. Just one word and he was able to make it all stop. His assurance of wanting to talk made my worries disappear.

I had to get my emotions under control, there were more pressing matters at hand and I feared it was only going to get worse before it could get better.

"Commander DeLuca." My earpiece went off.

"DeLuca." I answered snapping back to reality.

"We have the intruders in custody." The Chief Security informed me.

"Bring them to the bridge. The Captain will want a word with them." I cut off the link before speaking to Spock. "Captain Spock, Security has captured the intruders. I have ordered them to bring them to the bridge."

"Thank you Commander DeLuca." Spock nodded his head as he and the rest on the bridge waited for Jim and the other man.

When the main turbolift opened, Kirk and the man were in custody being dragged onto the bridge and from my station I watched as Spock made a beeline toward the two. I walked around my station and stayed close to the group, feeling the tension rise as Jim continued to stare at Spock

"Who are you?" Spock demanded the mysterious man to answer.

"I'm with him." _ **"He's with me."**_ The man and Jim answered simultaneously.

"We are traveling at warp speed. How did you manage to beam aboard this ship?" Spock asked Jim.

"Well, you're the genius, you figure it out." Jim sassed back.

"As acting captain of this vessel, I order you to answer the question." Spock demanded, having no patience for Jim's attitude.

"Well, I'm not telling, Acting Captain." Jim made sure to emphasize the last two words. "What, did...well that doesn't frustrate you, does it? My lack of cooperation? That-That doesn't make you angry."

"Kirk…" I said as I stepped between the security detail to Jim's right.

Spock paid Jim no mind as he turned back toward the new man before cocking his head to the side in curiosity after giving him a once over.

"Are you a member of Starfleet?" Spock asked.

"I...um yes. Can I get a towel, please?" The man asked.

"Under penalty of court martial, I order you to explain to me how you were able to beam aboard this ship while moving at warp." Spock threatened the poor man.

"Well…" _**"Don't answer him."**_ Jim interrupted the man as he was about to explain to Spock exactly how.

"You will answer me." Spock said firmly, showing he was not joking about the man being court-martialed.

The man looked between Jim and Spock before finally speaking. "I'd rather not take sides."

"What is it with you, Spock?" Jim said as he took a step closer to Spock, getting closer and in the Captain's face. Easily moving away from my outstretched hand as I tried to hold my friend back. "Your planet was just destroyed, your mother murdered, and you're not even upset."

"Jim…" I said as I went to stand with the two, putting my hands on Jim's chest in an attempt to push him away. "that's enough Jim."

"Commander DeLuca." Jim said, as he turned to look at me and for the first time I didn't see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes that he always had. He was asking me to leave it be and let him do what he came here to do.

"If you are presuming that these experiences in any way impede my ability to command this ship, you are mistaken." Spock stated as he maintained eye contact with Jim.

"And yet, you are the one who said fear was necessary for command." Jim said rehashing their old argument back on Earth. "I mean, did you see his ship? Did you see what he did?"

"Yes, of course I did." Spock said his voice coming out in a slight strain that I could hear.

"So are you afraid or aren't you?" Jim asked.

"I will not allow you to lecture me about the merit of emotion." Spock said, his voice coming out fast and harsh. Whatever Jim was about to do, I knew it was going to be stupid...I could already tell what Jim was attempting to do, and it was working.

"Then why don't you stop me?" Jim was egging Spock on, trying to elicit an emotional confrontation.

"Step away from me, Mister Kirk." Spock ordered, though this time it was not as forceful as Spock had previously been.

"What is it like not to feel anger? Or heartbreak?" Jim said and if possible stepped even closer to Spock, being so very close to his face. "Or the need to stop at nothing to avenge the death of the woman who gave birth to you?"

"Back away from me." Spock said as I heard his voice breaking.

"You feel nothing!" Jim yelled out.

"Jim!" I had had enough, now placing my hand on both men as I came to stand between the two, forcefully pushing them apart. "That is enough, the both of you. There is no time for this!"

"It must not even compute for you." Jim, being unfazed by my interruption, continued to yell at Spock. "You never loved her!"

Spock had reached his breaking point, that was the straw that broke the camel's back as the saying went. I had been pushed aside, my back landing on the console behind me as Spock reared his right arm and punched Jim across the face. Stunning Jim as Spock took the collar of his shirt and flung him at the Captain's chair.

"Commander are you alright?" Nyota asked as she came to my side to check up on me along with Leonard.

"I'm fine, but Jim won't be." I informed the two as we watched Spock punch Jim in the chest, forcing Jim to move back toward the Navigation console. "Against a Vulcan's strength, Jim will be killed unless Spock is stopped."

I coughed and took a deep breathe before getting to my feet and running to Spock just as he broke through Jim's defense and sent another jab very close to Jim's throat causing him to fall against the multiple panels that sounded like they had cracked upon impact.

"Spock!" I called in hopes to reach the enraged Vulcan. As I went to stand between my Captain and First Officer Spock's eyes fell on me, and there was no recollection of who I was in his eyes. Spock had given in to his emotions, he was fueled by his anger and it was that emotion that was preventing him from coming to his senses. All he wanted to do was get his hands wrapped around Jim's neck.

Spock had attempted to throw me aside, but I had thrown a punch that had caught the Vulcan off guard for a split second. I didn't want to hurt Spock, I could never even if I tried, but I had to make sure that he didn't get to Jim. Spock in his rage threw a punch at me as I guarded, I could feel my arms bruising as Spock tried by any means necessary to get me to move.

"Spock!" I called as I tried to block another hit, his fist making brief contact with my jaw before I leaned away to prevent further damage, lashing out a kick to his stomach to push him back. "Control your emotions!" Spock's arm came down as I held my arms up to cover my face. I could tell there would be an instant bruise from the impact. "It's me, Captain!"

I couldn't get through to him, and the last time Spock and myself had a try at hand-to-hand combat I only lasted 10 seconds before being thrown onto my back.

Every time Spock would throw a punch I had no choice but to dodge while keeping myself between Spock and Jim, and I think that I only annoyed Spock more. Spock came in with a kick and as I went to block it, he had thrown a punch at my weakened defenses. The punch had stunned me before I was thrown to the left, my body making contact with another console along with the air being knocked completely out of me.

As I tried to recover I saw Spock through dazed eyes had closed in on Jim and wrapped his hand around Jim's throat, cutting off his circulation as I heard Jim gasping desperately for air. I tried to gain my bearings as I wobbly stood back to my feet with the help of the console behind me. Though when I tried to take a step forward my knees buckled beneath me, I couldn't hold my weight before I was caught by Leonard who supported me as I got to my feet.

"Spock." I heard Mister Sarek's, Spock's father, firm voice cut through.

From where I stood I watched as Spock's eyes cleared, coming to his senses and realizing what he was doing before he let Jim go, stepping away from Jim as he looked back at his father. Through Jim's wheezing Spock had moved away and came to stand in front of Leonard and myself.

"DeLuca, I am no longer fit for duty." Spock breathed as he couldn't hold eye contact with me. "I hereby relinquish my command, based on the fact that I have been emotionally compromised."

"Spock…" I said as I felt my finger twitch and wanting to reach out to him, but resisted doing so. Whatever was going through Spock's mind at this very moment he had to work out and come to terms with it on his own.

"Please note the time and date in the ship's log." Spock noted before he quietly went toward the exit of the bridge and was soon followed by his father leaving the rest of us to recover and figure out what the hell had just happened and what should be done next.

"I like this ship!" The man, who we still had no idea who he was, exclaimed. "You know it's exciting!"

"Well, congratulations, Jim." Leonard said as he wound his arm around my waist to keep me balanced though at that point I was perfectly capable of standing on my own. "Now we've got no captain, and our first officer is in no condition to take command."

"I'm not this ship's First Officer…And I'm fine Doctor McCoy...still fit for duty. Just got the wind knocked out of me." I breathed out as I hesitantly got out of Leonard's embrace and composed myself before nodding my head to Jim. "We do have a First Officer to replace him."

Jim made his way to the Captain's chair and took a seat.

"Pike made him first officer." Sulu answered as he pointed to Jim.

"You gotta be kidding me." Leonard said as he looked to Jim in disbelief.

"Thanks for the support." Jim said with a nod to his friend.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, **_Captain_**." Nyota said with slight animosity as she came to stand beside Jim.

"So do I." Jim whispered before pressing a few buttons on his chair to open a ship wide broadcast to the entire Enterprise crew. "Attention, crew of the Enterprise. This is James Kirk. Mister Spock has resigned commission and advanced me to acting captain. I know you were all expecting to regroup with the fleet, but I'm ordering a pursuit course of the enemy ship to Earth. I want all departments at battle stations and ready in 10 minutes. Either we're going down or they are. Kirk out." Jim said before ending the broadcast.

"DeLuca." Jim said as he stood from his chair and came to stand in front of Leonard and myself. "I need you as acting First Officer, at least until Spock has bounced back."

"You think he'll return to the bridge?" I asked Jim as he simply gave me a knowing smile.

"How are you doing?" Jim asked me.

"A bit bruised, but I'll manage." I stated. This person in front of me wasn't the same Jim that was thrown off this ship. Whatever happened on Delta Vega changed Jim...gone was the immature man that left Earth. I was staring into the eyes of a Captain. "I'll get back to work then shall I Captain?"

"No, you won't." Leonard objected as he reached out to stop me from leaving. "You just went one on one with a raging bull, and you expect me to clear you for duty?"

"Doctor McCoy…" I said as I turned to look up at Leonard. "you can examine me after. I'm fine to continue my work until we save Earth."

As I walked away I heard Leonard scoff. "Fine my ass. You could have broken ribs, broken bones. But hey, what do I know...I'm just an old country doctor…"

"An old grumpy doctor is more like it…" I heard Jim comment.

"Hello." I said as I held out my hand toward the man that had tagged along with Jim. "We haven't been properly introduced, I'm Commander Allyson DeLuca."

"Montgomery Scott. Engineer." The man introduced as he reached out to shake my hand. "Pleasure to meet you Commander."

"Pleasure's all mine." I said before motioning toward one of the security guards. "Please get Mister Scott here a towel as well as get him a Starfleet uniform."

"Starfleet uniform?" Scott asked me a bit unsure.

"You're Kirk's friend I'm assuming?" I asked as Scott simply nodded. "Then you're stuck with us. Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Mister Scott."

I nodded to security to escort Mister Scott off the bridge before moving over to my station.

* * *

"Ally." Jim yelled from the opposite side of the bridge. "Need you here for a second."

I take it back, I may have seen a captain when I stood between Jim and Spock, but in the end he would always be Jim. And he was gonna take full advantage of calling me by my nickname instead of using my title or even my last name.

"Yes, Jim?" I asked, following suit in not calling him captain as I went over to the little group that was gathered by the screen.

"We need a plan of action." Jim said. "We need to find a way onto Nero's ship."

"With how advanced their ship is we may never get the chance, their sensors will catch us." I hummed. "We'll be detected the moment our ship gets even close to them. Though...if there was a way to hide our signal…"

I looked at the screen they were working on, seeing if anything close to Earth that could help.

"Chekov." I called the younger Ensign. "Theories? You're our navigator, from the course Nero had taken to Earth try and see if there's anything that can be of some use to help keep us hidden."

"Aye Commander." Chekov beamed at me before running off to the standing station beside the captain's chair.

"If we can't find anything that could help we need to come up with another plan." I mumbled to Jim as he decided to move me over, for some reason, to stand beside Leonard.

"Well whatever the case, we need to get aboard Nero's ship undetected." Jim said to our little group as we brainstormed some ideas.

"We can't just go in there guns blazing, Jim, not with their technology." Leonard said from my side.

"I'm telling you, the math doesn't support what you're suggesting." Sulu offered his opinion.

"We'd be risking the lives of all the crew on board," I said. "as much as I agreed to the idea of stopping them at all cost, I would very much like to get everyone aboard this ship safely back home."

"We have-"

"Captain Kirk, Captain Kirk!" Chekov came running back to us with a pep in his step as he tapped on Jim's back.

"Yes, Mister Chekov. What is it?" Jim said as our attention was given fully to Chekov, though behind me Leonard and Sulu were still in their own little world of discussion. Though it sounded more like Sulu offering ideas while Leonard shot them all down before also turning their attention to Chekov.

"Based on the Narada's course from Vwulcan, I have projected that Nero will travel past Saturn. Like you said, we need to stay inwisible to Nero or he'll destroy us. If Mister Scott can get us to warp factor 4, and if we drop out of warp behind one of Saturn's moons, say, Titan, the magnetic distortion from the planet's rings will make us invisible to Nero's sensors. From there, as long as the drill is not actiwated, we can beam aboard the enemy ship." Chekov informed us of his findings.

"Aye, that might work." Scott said from behind me as he was drying himself off with a towel, dressed in the fleets red starfleet uniform.

"A theory, but it's worth a try." I nodded my head.

"Wait a minute, kid. How old are you?" Leonard asked Chekov.

"Sewenteen, sir." Chekov said with pride, a smile still on his face.

"Oh-" Leonard breathed out, as he looked back at Jim. "Oh good, he's 17.

"Mister Chekov is a capable young man and a prodigy in his field. His mathematical ability can equal Spock's. I would trust his judgment." I vouched with a smile. "If it's possible, then age shouldn't matter."

"Doctor." Spock's voice interrupting our discussion caused us a bit of shock as we turned to his direction. "Mister Chekov is correct. I can confirm his telemetry. If Mister Sulu is able to maneuver us into position, I can beam aboard Nero's ship, steal back the black hole device and, if possible, bring back Captain Pike."

"I won't allow you to do that, Mister Spock." Jim denied with a shake of his head.

"Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry. Our cultural similarities will make it easier for me to access the ship's computer to locate the device." Spock said before looking past Jim with a nod of his head. "Also, my mother was human, which makes Earth the only home I have left."

Jim nodded his head before stepping forward from our little group. "Then I'm coming with you."

"I would cite Regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it." Spock stated as Jim simply chuckled.

"See? We are getting to know each other." Jim slapped the side of Spock's shoulder before walking away leaving Spock confused.

"Great to have you back Spock." I said with a smile. "Mister Sulu, I shall support you from my station, let's prepare shall we?"

"Commander DeLuca." Spock said, stopping me from leaving. "I apologize for my behavior earlier…"

"I understand Spock." I patted his shoulder.

"Are you injured?" Spock asked with a hint of concern. I was just about to speak before I was immediately cut off.

"Yes, she is." Leonard spoke out before I could answer. "Stubborn woman won't even let me give her an examination until we're out of this mess."

"Is that a wise choice?" Spock asked, now looking at Leonard.

"No, it's not." Leonard answered.

"My injuries aren't fatal, only bruises." I cut in, glaring at Leonard and Spock. "Besides, with you and the Captain jumping to Nero's ship, I need to be on the bridge."

"Mister Chekov or Mister Sulu can take the conn until we get back." Spock argued.

"Yes, but I want to make sure my friends along with Captain Pike get back aboard safely." I stubbornly fought with the Vulcan. "And I want to make sure Earth is out of danger."

Spock didn't say anymore, knowing full well there wasn't any point as he went to follow after Jim.

"I know how much you want me to get checked Leonard, but I assure you I'm fine." I sighed as I moved back to where I was needed. "I won't be doing any fighting, I'll just be here on the bridge waiting until Jim and Spock are back on board."

"Can't blame me for being worried..." Leonard simply sighed as he looked back at me exhausted. "I trust you to not overdo it. Any sign of discomfort and I will relieve you of duty. Doctor's order."

I smiled at Leonard in assurance, touched by his concern before our moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"Geez," Jim's voice cut in. "did something happen between you two while I was gone? What I miss?"


	9. Mission? Save Earth!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologizes everyone! It took me a bit to write my thoughts out, and I was also trying to work on getting the next chapter half way finished so this doesn't happen again xD Thank you for the comments, kudos and bookmarks!
> 
> I just wanted to say, I bought the CUTEST Star Trek wallet along with a science/medical blue face mask that comes with the insignia (along with the rank ironed on to the other side added without me asking. Came out amazing), and another Star Trek Mask with all the characters! Hasn't come in yet, but I'm excited to show my geeky side lol if you want to see it when it comes in you can find it on my facebook page: iAltoSax. I will post it on there once it arrives.

"We'll be approaching Titan in t-minus five seconds…" I called from my station as I turned to look at Sulu and Chekov, the two nodding in confirmation as they turned to prepare for the full stop. "Mister Sulu, whenever you're ready, Mister Chekov and myself are here to support you should you need our assistance."

"Understood Commander." Sulu said as he began to input commands into his console on the right. "All stop in three, two, one."

As the Enterprise fell out of warp, on the viewscreen all we could see was a reddish brown mist as the ship started to power down.

"Give me one-quarter impulse burst for five seconds. I'll do the rest with the thrusters. On my mark." Sulu said to Chekov.

"Aye." Chekov responded.

"Fire." Sulu commanded and as soon as the impulse burst engaged, Sulu began to work as the Enterprise slowly rose up from the mist and right there in front us, we were placed exactly where Chekov had calculated...right behind Saturn's rings.

"Good job Mister Sulu." I congratulated as I heard the man give a sigh of relief.

"Transporter Room. We are in position above Titan." Sulu pinged the comm to the transporter room and soon we had gotten a response as I heard Mister Scott's voice come clear through.

"Really? Fine job, Mister Sulu. Well done." Scotty, as the scotsman had insisted I call him after we had a little chat about the Enterprise, said.

"Mister Scott." I called through my station, resorting to formalities while on duty. "Has Captain Kirk and Commander Spock reached the transporter room."

"Aye Commander." Scotty said before the line went dead for a few seconds before I heard his voice speak up once more. "And it seems I have a message from you from Captain Kirk."

"Message?" I hummed in thought.

" ** _Ally, you have the conn until we return to the ship. Do keep the chair warm upon my return. Thank you._** " Scotty said. "In these exact words…"

"Captain, I hate you." I said with a smile knowing full well Jim could hear me. "Please relay this to Captain Kirk and Commander Spock: they better return to this ship... **alive**."

"Whatever happens, Allyson..." Jim's voice jumped in on the conversation. He's never used my name in such a tone before that it caused my smile to falter. "Mister Sulu, if you think you have the tactical advantage, you fire on that ship, even if we're still onboard. That's an order."

I turned to look at Sulu, the two of us making eye contact before Sulu was the one the answer. "Yes, sir."

"Otherwise we'll contact the Enterprise when we're ready to be beamed back." Jim said.

"Good luck." Sulu said.

"Godspeed Captain…" I whispered before cutting communication on my end.

After a few seconds I went over to Sulu, leaning down on his console to whisper into his ear. "Mister Sulu, though the Captain had left me in charge, I do not know if I would have the willpower to relay such an order. Should I fail...I do hope your reaction would be better than mine."

Sulu gave me a reassuring smile as he reached out to pat my hand. "You've had my back, I'll have yours Commander."

"Thank you Sulu…" I sighed in relief before returning to the Captain's chair, hesitating ever so slightly before taking a seat.

"Commander DeLuca." Scotty called to the Captain's chair. "Beaming Captain Kirk and Commander Spock onto the Romulan ship, if calculations are correct I should be sending them straight to the cargo bay."

"Keep on standby," I relayed before leaving the comm on and addressing those on the bridge. "we have no time to relax, be ready to act should something happen. We can relax once Nero and his crew have been stopped."

The crew and myself sat in silence, every second that ticked by we grew tense as we waited for either Nero to react or Jim to hail our comms to give us an update. So it came as a surprise when the alarms on the Enterprise began to blare ship wide.

"We must've miscalculated…they've been spotted." I said as I called to Sulu. "Mister Sulu, try to get them back."

"Negative…" Sulu shook his head as he attempted to try everything that his station could offer to find a solution. "communications have been jammed."

"They have activated the drill." Chekov informed me just as Nyota came running onto the bridge in a panic.

"Communication and transport are inoperative." Nyota called. "Sulu, please tell me you have them. Otherwise we won't be able to beam them back."

"Kirk and Spock are on their own now." Sulu said to Nyota.

"The Captain is good at improvising…" I said to Sulu and Nyota in assurance. "then we'll be as well. We can only hope they can disable the drill on their end. After, we'll make it up as we go along should things not go according to plan. Make no mistake, I'm bringing them back to this ship."

My heart picked up once again, and I closed my eyes in an attempt to calm myself, but I couldn't help the anxious tick I would get as I began tapping my finger on the Captain's chair. I needed to stay calm, cool, and collected. If I showed signs of panic then the crew will lose faith. We cannot afford that. The lives of every single person on Earth, along with my friends are at stake. Keep up the facade until everyone is safe...after we will quietly go to our quarters and panic. Yeah...sounds like a good plan. Innocent lives were at stake, and that was more important than my silly anxiety about captaining a ship. 'Damn my family's high expectation…'

"Captain DeLuca," Chekov called to me as I turned my gaze to the boy. "there is a ship that has separated from Nero's ship and is headed toward the drill."

"The drill has been destroyed Captain!" One of the Lieutenants informed me.

"Communications and transport is back online." Nyota turned her chair around to inform me as well, each station reporting their finds to me from all direction aboard the bridge.

"The Narada is opening fire on the ship that destroyed the drill." Sulu informed.

"It must be Spock…" I at least hoped it was.

"Captain, the ship along with the Narada has gone into warp." Sulu said.

"Follow them Mister Sulu." I ordered. "Earth is safe, now let's go bring back our men."

"Yes ma'am." Sulu quickly reacted as he took us into warp, following the course that the Narada had taken.

"Shields up Mister Sulu. The moment we drop out of warp, all hands prepare to open fire." I ordered before reaching out to call for Scotty. "Mister Scott, assuming that one of our own was in that tiny ship...hypothetically, can you beam aboard people from two separate locations?"

"It...it can be done?" Scotty said though the end of his sentence I heard his voice squeak with uncertainty.

"Be prepared, the moment Kirk hails the Enterprise, locate their signals and beam them back to the ship. Good luck Mister Scott." I said as I cut the link between us. "Doctor McCoy! Please make your way to the transporter room immediately."

"Dropping out of warp!" Sulu warned.

Our front vision returned as we saw in front of us missiles from the Narada headed straight for the little white ship.

"Fire Mister Sulu!" I called as our ship started to shake violently from the sudden drop.

Our photon torpedos intercepted the oncoming missiles that were aimed at the little ship, each taking them out before they could reach the white ship.

"Enterprise, now!" Jim's voice came from my chair.

As we fended off the missiles, I watched the tiny white ship fly into the mouth of the Narada. From the base of the Romulan ship, on impact fire exploded and I feared the worst as I waited expectantly for Scotty to bring me some good news.

"Captain Kirk, Captain Pike, and Commander Spock have successfully been beamed aboard the Enterprise." Scotty's relieved laugh came through.

"We're not out of danger just yet," I said to Scotty. "Great work Mister Scott, head down to engineering. I have a feeling your expertise is needed more there."

"Thank god…" I breathed out a sigh of relief as I stood up from the Captain's chair and went back to where I considered my safe house. "Great work crew, standby for the Captain's orders."

As we monitored the Narada's situation, all signs read that all power and weapon capabilities were down, they were stranded and an easy target. They were no longer considered a threat to us.

A few minutes passed and we turned at the sound of the doors swishing open and I could only smile. Man was it good to see their faces again.

"Captain, the enemy ship is losing power! Their shields are down, sir." Chekov reported to Jim as he and Spock stepped onto the bridge and made their way together toward the viewscreen.

"Hail them now." Jim ordered.

"Aye." Chekov nodded and just as we were able to get into contact with the Narada from the center of a ship a large black hole had expanded, slowly starting to swallow the ship up into the black void.

Nero's face appeared on the screen, from behind him alarms were blaring as his consoles began to explode all around him.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Your ship is compromised. Too close to the singularity to survive without assistance, which we are willing to provide." Jim spoke out strong and detached before Spock turned his back to Nero and began to whisper to Jim, a conversation that we aboard the bridge could not hear.

I understood that we were in danger with our ship being as close to the black hole, but I couldn't help but smile. The dynamic between my Vulcan friend, and the man who forcefully wedged his way into my life to become my friend was so different than when we left Earth. And I could only deduce that this change...happened when Jim was sent to Delta Vega. Which only caused me to be more curious. What the hell happened on that planet to make Jim change his opinion and attitude toward Spock? Whatever it was...it was a nice change.

I made a mental note to ask Jim about that when we get out of this mess.

"I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times." Nero responded as the two turned back to the viewscreen. "I would rather die in agony than accept the assistance from you."

"You got it." Jim said as him and Spock simultaneously separated, going around the navigation counsel. "Arm phasers. Fire everything we've got."

"Yes, sir." Sulu said and with a push of a button, from both my end and his end any weapon that was accessible on this ship was working at full capacity as we opened fire on the enemy ship, destroying bits and pieces of the tendrils, every debris that fell was being sucked into the black hole until almost nothing was left.

On our screen a warning signal popped up that notified us that we were too close to the black hole, and we would be caught in the black hole's gravitational pull if we didn't leave soon.

"Sulu, let's go home." Jim's voice called above the wailing of the alarm.

"Yes, sir!" Sulu said as he began inputting the coordinates for Earth, the ship turning its back to the black hole as we attempted to leave. Our ship wasn't moving, and that was a cause for alarm when we were pushing close to max warp.

"Why aren't we at warp?" Jim questioned.

"We are, sir." Chekov informed.

"Captain! We have a problem!" I called as I started to work around what Sulu was doing in an attempt to give us more power. "We're caught in the gravitational pull of the black hole and it won't let us go no matter how much power I'm trying to force out!"

"Kirk to Engineering. Get us out of here, Scotty." Jim called to Engineering.

"You bet your ass, Captain!" Scotty's voice yelled through the comm.

"Captain, we're caught in the gravity well! It's got us!" Scotty repeated.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" Jim yelled. "Go to maximum warp! Push it!"

"I'm giving her all she's got, Captain!" Scotty shot back.

Cracks started to form on the bridge of this ship, the more we struggled against the pull the more it was threatening to rip us in half.

"If we don't get out of here soon, it'll rip this ship in half. I'm seeing red all over the ship Jim!" I called as I looked over the schematics.

"All she's got isn't good enough! What else you got?" Jim yelled.

"Ah, okay, if we eject the core and detonate, the blast could be enough to push us away. I cannae promise anything, though!" Scotty theorized, his voice in a panic as he thought of any solution that he could to get us out of this.

The cracks started to form on our viewscreen that if breached there goes our oxygen, as a safety precaution I activated the emergency shield in hopes that it would give us some added protection.

"Do it, do it, do it!" Jim ordered as we continued to fight against the current, waiting for Scotty to detonate the core.

From my screen, an emergency code was being inputted and confirmed as one by one the core of the Enterprise was being jettisoned out of the ship headed straight for the center of the black hole.

"Ship's core has been ejected, Captain!" I kept Jim informed. 'All we can do now...is hope and pray...'

In an instant, our ship was forcefully pushed forward, I almost slipped at the sudden force of the blast as many of us held our breath waiting for the reaction we needed, the push that would carry us out of the gravitational well.

White light enveloped our ship before the ship took off, riding the waves of the blast as we escaped the pull the black hole had on us and it was only then that we were able to breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone was turning to each other, smiling and thankful that it was all over and that we were finally safe. After being so close to death, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle as a few others were doing as well. We couldn't believe that we made it out of that alive.

"Let's go home…" Jim said before turning his chair to me. "thanks for keeping my chair warm Ally."

If I had something to throw at Jim, I would've thrown it without hesitation.

* * *

Back on Earth, back at the Academy, the commanding officers of the Enterprise weren't out of the clear just yet. Along with Allyson, Jim and Spock had to report back to Admiral Barnett and the council at Starfleet Academy. Report those that they had lost along with the events that led up to the destruction of the Narada, with a few things being left out of course.

When Spock had tried to say something, Jim and Allyson would intervene, in other words they gave Spock no opportunity to speak. Jim and Spock were congratulated on the success of their gamble to single handedly go against Nero for the sake of Earth, by putting their differences aside…they had saved so many lives that would've been lost had Nero and his crew dropped the red matter into the center of Earth.

Surprisingly, Allyson was congratulated as well, but not by Admiral Barnett. Allyson had gone to visit Captain Pike to see how he was doing, apparently Jim had a big mouth and told him how she had stepped up to be acting captain a few times and did pretty well for not taking any Leadership courses. Captain Pike was proud, said that he knew she had it in her, she just needed a little push in the right direction.

Allyson had told him that she hoped she would never have to do it again.

Captain Pike only laughed and said he highly doubted she'd get her wish.

There was to be a ceremony today to recognize Jim for his bravery and valor in the face of the enemy, but just before that Allyson was called to the Engineering department. Apparently while others got a chance to rest, her expertise was gravely needed and couldn't wait until later. In her absence, some first year cadet had destroyed something on a shuttle that was to stay grounded on Earth for educational purposes for attending cadets. The academy had asked her to give it a look over before she could attend the gathering.

Allyson was busy working and giving the shuttle a safety check when from the corner of her eyes she saw someone approaching her, and judging from the clothing they were wearing she knew that they were not a cadet or part of the academy's staff.

"I'm sorry, you're not authorized to be in this area." Allyson apologized without turning to look at the stranger approaching. "I was told no one was to be in this area except for personnel only."

"I apologize." A frail, elderly voice spoke up. "I was simply admiring the shuttle."

Allyson turned to the voice and saw an old man with pointed ears staring up at the shuttle looking lost in thought and for a split second she thought her eyes were deceiving her.

"Yes…" Allyson mumbled as she furrowed her brows in confusion. "though at the moment I cannot give you a tour I'm afraid. In my absence a cadet had tinkered with something that caused an explosive reaction inside the shuttle…thankfully no one was hurt."

"Thankfully…" The Vulcan agreed before turning to face Allyson. "well then, I shan't keep you from your work."

"I was actually finishing up, just giving it a safety clearance." Allyson said as she cocked her head to the side as she continued to stare at the Vulcan. "I'm sorry if I'm staring so much, but have we met before?"

"Oh, well…" The elder Vulcan shrugged his shoulder. "I don't think we have."

"No, no…" Allyson took a step closer to the elder Vulcan, staring up into his eyes for a few seconds before smiling and letting out a little giggle. "I don't know how, but I can only speculate…" Allyson took a step back before nodding her head in confirmation. "hello Mister Spock."

The elder Vulcan looked stunned for a split second before that shocked expression was replaced with a kind smile. "And might I ask how?"

"Your eyes," Allyson said. "I can only deduce that the reason for how you are here is the same way that Nero was able to come here to our time."

"You deduce correct, I came here the same way that Nero had." Spock Prime confirmed. "And who might you be?"

"Commander Allyson DeLuca, sir." Allyson introduced herself. "I'm…well, I'm meant to just serve as a generalist on the Enterprise, but I was promoted to TIC by Captain Pike."

Judging off of Spock Prime's reaction Allyson let out a deep sigh.

"I suppose…I never really served on the Enterprise in your timeline…did I?" Allyson looked to Spock Prime sadly, the Vulcan could only shake his head.

"Allyson DeLuca was a smart, courageous, disciplined young woman back in the academy and throughout her life. Top marks in all fields and known to put duty above all else." Spock Prime listed off. "Following in her family's footsteps, she went on to captain her own ship straight out of the academy. Soon after, she had climbed her way up through the ranks by her accomplishments to Fleet Admiral."

"Must've been a very lonely and unfulfilling life she lived…" Allyson commented quietly before she shook her head. "a shame, she missed out on such wonderful friendships."

"Basing off your reaction to knowing who I am just by my eyes alone," Spock Prime spoke. "I'm assuming you are close to my younger self."

"I'd like to think we're very close." Allyson responded with a smile.

"Do you by chance have…?" Spock Prime was about to ask with curiosity, in his time SoulMarks were considered precious and openly spoke about such a topic. He was fortunate enough to find his and live a long happy life together. She's been gone for sometime, but he still missed her dearly. He wondered if this timeline considered SoulMarks important like they had.

'Quite possibly not…' Spock Prime thought as he noted the way Allyson nervously fidgeted at having been asked about her SoulMark.

"Oh, no! Spock…he's my best friend. Why, I'd go so far as to call him…family." Allyson laughed. "My SoulMark is someone else."

"DeLuca, never cared much for SoulMarks, never bothered with such a notion from what I have heard." Spock Prime hummed in thought, there were always a few like Admiral DeLuca who considered SoulMarks to be a weakness and a waste of time. "I'm assuming, you are?"

"It's what I've been studying after graduating from the academy." Allyson answered, enjoying their little conversation. Though she didn't care much about her future self and her accomplishments in his timeline, it was interesting to see how different they were even if they were the same person. It was answering the 'what-if' scenario she always asked herself…what if she had listened to her parents. Not many people can have such an opportunity. "It's interesting that even though we are the same person, we aren't at the same time…are we?"

Spock Prime only shook his head as he matched the smile Allyson wore as she spoke to him. Spock Prime had met Fleet Admiral DeLuca only once, and the woman standing before him was a complete opposite from the Admiral he had met. While Admiral DeLuca looked void of all emotion and based her decisions on logic alone, one could even mistake her for a Vulcan, the woman standing before him was living life to the fullest. He saw vulnerability, kindness, and someone who cared deeply for the people she kept close to her heart. What this Allyson must've gone through to become the woman standing in front of him, he had to wonder. Just speaking to her for such a short amount of time drew Spock Prime to want to befriend such a woman.

"Father!"

Spock Prime turned toward the voice that had called for him, and from behind the elder Vulcan Allyson peaked out and gave the younger Spock a small wave. Spock Prime observed his younger self visibly relax as his eyes fell on Allyson. 'Fascinating…'

"I am not our father." Spock Prime shook his head as he motioned for Allyson to walk with him. The woman had initially declined, saying that she would give the two of them some privacy before Spock Prime insisted that she follow. "There are so few Vulcans left. We cannot afford to ignore each other."

When they were close to Spock, Spock Prime had stopped, but Allyson had continued forward to stand beside Spock who nodded his head at the woman in acknowledgment. The two Vulcans stood face to face in the same identical stance before Spock spoke up first.

"Then why did you send Kirk aboard when you alone could have explained the truth?" Spock asked.

"Because you needed each other. I could not deprive you of the revelation of all that you could accomplish together, of a friendship that would define you both in ways you cannot yet realize." Spock Prime answered as Allyson continued to smile. She could tell how much Spock Prime cherished the friendship he had with his Kirk based on his eyes and how fondly he spoke out. Allyson eagerly looked forward to her Spock and Jim to develop such a close bond as Spock Prime had.

"How did you persuade him to keep your secret?" Spock asked.

"He inferred that universe-ending paradoxes would ensue should he break his promise." Spock Prime smirked.

"You lied." Spock stated.

"Oh…I…" Spock Prime exclaimed with a shrug of his shoulders. "I implied."

"A gamble." Spock looked confused.

"An act of faith. One I hope that you'll repeat in the future in Starfleet." Spock Prime advised his younger self.

"In the face of extinction, it is only logical I resign my Starfleet commission and help rebuild our race." Spock shook his head before Spock Prime cut his younger self off.

"And yet, you can be in two places at once." Spock Prime took a glance to Allyson who was looking toward his younger self with concern before continuing on. "I urge you to remain in Starfleet. I have already located a suitable planet on which to establish a Vulcan colony."

"Spock, in this case, do yourself a favor." Spock Prime stepped closer to his younger self. "Put aside logic. Do what feels right."

"You should really listen to yourself, you know. After all, you are the smartest person I know. We've got a lot to look forward to don't we," Allyson pipped in as she turned to look at Spock Prime with a cheeky smile. "Mister Spock?"

Spock Prime chuckled at the woman's antics and simply nodded his head.

"Before I forget," Spock suddenly turned his body to speak specifically to Allyson. "I believe Doctor McCoy is looking for you. You forgot to report to him."

Allyson visibly froze, and her face paled. "…I did forget."

The thought of facing an infuriated Leonard terrified her, and after she had promised to see him as soon as the ship was out of danger she knew he was furious at her. Allyson swiftly turned back to speak to Spock Prime. "If this is the only time I get to talk to you, then I thank you for such a pleasant and insightful conversation! Though I hope this will not be the last."

"Before you go, if you don't mind humoring this old Vulcan's curiosity…" Spock Prime stopped Allyson from running off. "Might I inquire about your SoulMark? If you're comfortable with the subject, of course."

Allyson looked between Spock and Spock Prime before hesitantly shrugging her shoulders.

"It's a bit of a touchy subject for me…but I don't mind I suppose, my Spock already knows, so I'm basically showing it to the same person. I've um…only just got the courage to show Spock." Allyson nervously fumbled with the sleeve of her instructors uniform as she rolled them just enough for the names to show. "I don't know if the Allyson in your time was similar, but if so…then we were born with two Marks."

When Allyson showed Spock Prime her wrists his eyes were immediately drawn to her right wrist first the moment he saw the familiar nickname that he had not heard of in so long. Spock Prime reached out to trace the name and in his eyes there was a sense of longing and familiarity.

"I'm guessing you were very good friends with Leonard as you were with Jim…" Allyson smiled sadly.

"We had our many disagreements and banters," Spock Prime let out a small chuckle as he relived the memories of his glory days, back when he and the good ship doctor would exchange words and little playful arguments here and there. "but I cherished our friendship nonetheless."

Spock Prime's eyes drifted toward Allyson's left wrist, but before he could make a comment Spock had interrupted their little moment.

"I believe Doctor McCoy said he was going to send out a search party should you fail to report to his office…" Spock coughed. "I believe he will do just as he promises should you delay any longer."

"Right! I'm sorry Elder Spock…" Allyson rolled her sleeves down and was about to turn to leave before Spock Prime gripped her wrist just enough to keep her in place, but not enough to hurt her. "…Spock?"

"I will give my contact to Spock to give to you." Spock Prime nodded his head. "I believe we have much to discuss about."

Allyson looked confused before she simply nodded in understanding. She started to rush off, but not before stopping to turn and give the two Vulcans a wave goodbye before sprinting away and out of view.

Allyson had wondered if Spock Prime knew about her other name, but the fear of Leonard's wrath outweighed her curiosity. But had she stayed behind she would've seen the stunned and fearful reaction of Spock Prime at having seen the familiar name that was written on her left wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make Allyson the type that people want to befriend, like her attitude just makes people gravitate toward her. And I hope since the beginning I've stayed true to that character type. That even though she has this bumpy past, she wants people to be happy, she's easy to talk to and that makes people open up to her and just be the place where people can throw their worries away after speaking to her.


	10. Heart to Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is my birthday! Wohoo! I'll be 27, doing what I love to do and staying home because it's getting pretty bad here where I live xD. Thank you for the lovely kudos, comments and bookmarks! Any thing makes me happy, even just knowing people are enjoying my writing.
> 
> Any grammatical errors you find I hope you can forgive me I have gotten little to no sleep cause of my messed up sleep schedule haha. Happy reading!

"You know, I let it slide." Leonard scolded as he went about shining his penlight into my eyes before rushing over to another medical table. "And I thought, 'she's not in any danger…doesn't go picking unnecessary fights like I know a certain captain does, and she did promise she'd report to my medbay once the ship was out of danger.' But did she report to me after Jim asked Sulu to take us back to Earth? No. Did she report to me after we arrived on Earth? No. Now? I had to wait to give my stubborn Commander a checkup **AFTER** the ceremony that was held for our equally as stubborn Captain!"

"I'm sorry Leonard, truly I am…but I'm alright. There's nothing wrong with me except for a few bumps and bruises." I tried to calm the doctor who seemed to be lost in his ranting to acknowledge what I was saying.

"You had been experiencing anxiety along with a slight panic attack when you were first left in charge as acting Captain of the Enterprise. You went head to head against a Vulcan who, might I remind you, is stronger than the average human. Stronger than even the strongest human!" Leonard stood in front of me and held up his medical tricorder to my face. "Hold still, Allyson."

"Leonard, there was nothing wrong with me." I tried to calm his nerves before he burst a blood vessel, but Leonard wasn't finished scolding me just yet.

"You couldn't have known that without the proper equipment!" Leonard grumbled. "You could've had a concussion, broken bones, internal bleeding…Spock had no control over his emotions or his strength. I understand that it was an accident, but we had no idea what kind of damage he did to your body! I mean…look at Jim! Damned Vulcan almost strangled him to death!"

"Leonard!" I called to him as I reached out to stop him, my hand placed on his arm instantly silencing the angry doctor. "Leonard, you forget that I had taken the necessary medical courses as you have back in the academy. Enough to be able to relieve you of your workload should your medbay become too overwhelmed by patients. At the time, I did a quick check on how I was feeling and deemed myself fit for duty."

"I understand that you are capable of taking care of yourself…" Leonard closed his eyes and sighed before turning back to me, physically exhausted after outwardly expressing his frustration. "I'm sorry…"

"I'm sorry too, I should've reported to you." I smiled. "Thank you for worrying about me."

Leonard gave me a weary smile, reaching out to place his hand over my own before letting out a deep sigh. "You're cleared Ally, all you need is rest."

"You get some sleep too, Leonard." I got up to leave, and just before I reached the door Leonard cleared his throat nervously.

"Actually, Allyson…before you leave I think we should have a talk." I turned back to Leonard who seemed to be shuffling in place in the center of the medical lab we were using. "Pick up the conversation we briefly had…about our Marks…"

"Leonard, we don't have to talk about it." I assured Leonard who only shook his head.

"No, I want to talk about it…clear things up, and figure out where to go from there." Leonard said before he motioned for me to follow. The two of us made our way to the back of the lab where a lone door was hidden behind medical equipment. Leonard unlocked the door and held it open for me. "I was given this office on our return, so it's technically mine for now until we go back into space. We shouldn't be bothered."

I nodded my head as I stepped through the door that led into the next room. The office looked similar to my own except it was slightly bigger, enough to fit a mini sofa along the left side of the wall that I assumed was used for patients. I took a seat on the sofa and waited for Leonard to sit where he felt comfortable enough which was surprisingly right beside me. Actually, he flopped down on the seat, completely relaxing into the cushions of the sofa as he leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling.

"I…I don't really know where to start actually…" Leonard honestly confessed, his voice wavering nervously. "I suppose…"

"What…are you doing?" I asked as I watched Leonard scoot forward and grab the hem of his shirt. He lifted his uniform and at the slightest show of skin I started to panic. I lashed out and grabbed both of his hands, stopping him from continuing any further and forcing his shirt back down. "Hold on, wait! Leonard, wait…"

Leonard looked at me in confusion, his hands still holding the hem of his shirt and I had to avert my eyes in embarrassment. I know he was going to show me his Mark, and I did the first thing that came to mind without thinking. I didn't want him to show me his without knowing my situation first.

"What's wrong?" Leonard asked me as I took both his wrists and moved it back to his side.

"I…I want to tell you about my situation first, and then after…you can decide if you want to go through with showing me yours." I stuttered out while avoiding making eye contact with Leonard.

"If your name is on my back, why would I need to decide about showing mine to you?" Leonard asked.

"Because…you may not want me after you see mine." I said sadly, feeling my chest tighten at the possibility of Leonard rejecting me if we confirm that my name was between his shoulders. "At least, if you don't know about yours you can remain ignorant about the name on your back…if you don't want to accept mine. You won't feel bad about rejecting me, we can brush it off simply as a mistake…"

"Why…why would I not accept you?" Leonard breathed out as he switched the position of our hands, now holding both of mine as he tried to catch my attention. "Why would I reject my SoulMark?"

I looked at his hands as they held my wrists, the thumb on his left hand rubbing where his name would've been if the sleeves of my uniform was pulled up. "What if…what if your SoulMate was born with two SoulMarks…?"

"Were you born with two SoulMarks?" Leonard asked and I could only nod my head in confirmation, afraid that my voice would fail me should I try to speak. "And…you're ashamed of that? Why?"

"It's something that's been ingrained into my head since I was young…" I said sadly. "two marks, isn't something to be proud about."

"Ingrained by who?" Leonard asked, his voice on edge as his grip on my wrist tightened.

"My family…"

When Leonard didn't say anything, I retracted my hands and placed them back on my lap. My fingers fidgeted with each other as I continued my explanation.

"My family isn't royalty, but they are very well known though among StarFleet. Image to them is everything, and that thought mentality dates back years in my family. It's the children's duty to carry on the family name and bring great honor to their family. Every person in my family went on to be Captain straight out of the academy, great captain's actually. And when they retire they go on to be Admiral's." I could hear my heart beat wildly in my ears as I explained my family's background. "SoulMarks are just as important, the parents would search for their children's SoulMark to make sure they, too, can live up to the family name. And if the SoulMate can bring disgrace to the family they'd make sure the children never come into contact with them. There were cases where the parents would build up the SoulMate to match their expectation if it concerns the first borns, since it is their duty to keep the family name going."

"Talk about high expectations…" Leonard commented.

"It was…" I agreed. "I have two older siblings. The eldest being my brother Aurelius DeLuca of the USS Evolution. My Father found his SoulMate, who is now my brother's First Officer. Then there's my sister Celestyn DeLuca of the USS Dauntless. She doesn't care about her SoulMark, and being the middle child she has that choice. Me, being the youngest along with having two SoulMarks, my parents decided to forgo finding my SoulMarks, saying it would bring disgrace to our family…and so….they created this outline of my future. They wanted me to continue to rise in ranks and make a name for myself like my Father had."

"And you didn't want that…" Leonard stated.

"No, I didn't. Living out their idea of my future I could only see how lonely I would become. I wanted to enjoy my life and be a part of something instead of leading solo." I said. "The pressure they put on me caused me to distance myself from my family. They told me to constantly hide my Marks, told me to never show it to anyone. For you see, SoulMates are only meant for each other. Who would want to share theirs with anyone else? No one would dedicate themselves to one person if that one person can't do the same."

"That's mental abuse…" I heard Leonard whisper. "you know that right? Just because there hasn't been a case like yours before, doesn't mean that you can't make it work."

I didn't reply to Leonard, how could I? I always thought it to be true, and that fear my parents instilled in me is why I always kept my Marks hidden.

"But it is true Leonard, SoulMates dedicate themselves only to each other." I shook my head as I felt myself close off and sink deeper into despair. "If we do have each other's Mark, what will happen if I come across the other person? It wouldn't be fair to someone as sweet as you…"

"Allyson, your parents, and forgive me for such disrespect, is wrong." Leonard firmly stated.

I heard Leonard exhale before he swiftly reached out, grabbing my arms and pulled my sleeves back to reveal both my Marks before I could react. When a few seconds passed I tried to pull my arms back, struggling to hide them before he could see, but he held me firmly in place as he turned my wrists up.

"Look at me Allyson." Leonard ordered and I couldn't help but oblige. "You having two Marks is not a disgrace. Yes, it is true as you've said that SoulMates dedicate themselves to each other, but have you thought that maybe you have two Marks because some higher being knows you have a lot of love to offer?" Leonard asked as he reached out to wipe tears that I didn't know I had shed. "You do it now, you care so much for those that you've met without forgetting anyone. You've shared your 'love' equally so far, and if you meet this other person, I will not be worried because I know you will love us both equally. You deserve your SoulMates just as much as anyone else."

Leonard looked at my right wrist and couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.

"Really? Bones? That's the name the universe decides to give you?" Leonard laughed. "I see the 'L', but Bones…now that's very unique. You would've found me instantly. Who else has a name Bones, even if it's a nickname."

"Leonard…" I started to speak before the man silenced me.

"This person…'Khan'. if he comes around, and has your name as well. I do not mind sharing, because after hearing how terribly awful your family is, more so you deserve all the love we can give you." Leonard stated firmly. "Though…what kind of name is 'Khan'? I wonder what kind of person he is…" Leonard tapped on his name along with the name on my left wrist. "don't be ashamed about this Allyson. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about."

I couldn't help myself…no matter how much I was willing myself not to, I felt the tears escape from the corners of my eyes and run down my face at Leonard's response. All the emotions I've kept about my Mark's came flowing out. My whole life I was so afraid that my parents were right, that if I were to meet my SoulMate's they wouldn't accept me because I was also carrying another person's name. Being constantly told to always hide it away and to never speak of it again.

Yet here was Leonard, willing to accept me and my Marks, the thought that he would be sharing me with another person didn't bother him. This man was proving my parents wrong.

"Don't cry Allyson…"Leonard cooed as he pulled me into him, wrapping his arms tightly around me as he rested his chin on the top of my head. "it's going to be all okay darling, you hear me?"

* * *

To say I was angry was an understatement, I was enraged. What kind of parent places that type of burden on a child? Public image be damned, that's your flesh and blood! And to think that her two older siblings were perfectly fine following the status quo? I will never be able to comprehend.

I held Allyson in my arms as she cried, the pressure, the fear, and the guilt she must've felt throughout her childhood. I wish I could make it all go away. Such a beautiful soul shouldn't have endured such hostility over something she had absolutely no control over.

"Allyson, I can't change what happened in the past." I said as she grasped the front of my shirt. "But I can promise…that your future will only get better."

I pushed Allyson away, keeping her in arm's reach before turning my back to her, lifting my shirt up and over my head in the process.

"I can't see my Mark, I didn't bother wanting to know until now." I said, a little embarrassed at being half naked in front of a crying woman. "I would've wanted to take you out to dinner first before being half naked, but I think this can be an exception."

I heard Allyson's crying turn to sniffles, and for a few minutes when she didn't say anything I started to wonder if there was a possibility that I didn't have her name…and that caused me some concern. My ex-wife had explained it to me once, then got angry at me for it so I never bothered asking for more details, asking for the name was out of the question lest I risk the wrath of my ex-wife. Was I wrong? Were we wrong to assume that we were SoulMates?

I jumped, being jostled out of my thoughts when I felt cold fingers touch the center between my shoulder blades as Allyson whispered a quiet apology.

"Respective slanted calligraphy." Allyson stated, her voice unsteady and wavering as she let out a sniffle. "It does fade from black to gold…"

And then, I heard her crying once more which caused me to turn around in alarm. "Hey, don't cry…no more crying…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think that my SoulMate would ever show me theirs after they hear that I have two." Allyson apologized through her tears as she furiously tried to wipe away the tears that still fell, and through her tears she smiled brightly up at me. "I just…never thought I'd ever get to see my name on anyone. I didn't think I'd get so emotional…"

I had her name, and I wanted to see it now more than ever. Allyson is such a beautiful woman, both inside and out, even with tears spilling from her eyes. I can honestly say that I am a very lucky man. A woman of her caliber and I had her name…and vice versa she had mine.

Allyson stood up and began to pull my arm, leading me out of the office and into the med lab. She pushed me forward to stand in front of one of the few full length mirrors we had. Allyson turned me around so my back was facing the mirror and I was facing her.

"Take a look…" She smiled, tear marks on her face as she still tried to wipe them off.

I turned to look over my shoulder and in the corner of my eyes I saw it, written in calligraphy fading from black to gold was her name. **_Allyson DeLuca_**. The name on my back was a reflection of the woman standing in front of me. A work of art, beautiful and elegant, expressive and skillful. In that moment I swelled with pride and I turned back to smile at Allyson.

"I wanted to clarify what I said back on the Enterprise Allyson." I said as I reached out to caress the side of her face. "Yes, my SoulMark had caused my marriage problems, I did at times become angry because of my SoulMark, but I'd never hold that against you. My ex-wife and I…we just weren't meant for each other, and in this day and age…I didn't think it was important to find you. I simply married who I thought I had a connection with. But maybe…my marriage failing was meant to happen simply so I could find the right person for me. I'm not…happy about my divorce, no one would be I think, but I think it showed me that I was too hasty in my decision to settle down. A person my age, seemed only natural at the time…"

"So," Allyson said as she seemed to move into my hand. "what happens now? Where do we go from here?"

"We'll take it slow…" I said with assurance. "or as slow as SoulMates can take things."

"And what about my other Mark?" Allyson asked me.

"We'll deal with it when we come across him. Together." I said with a nod. "Who knows, we may never even meet him. With how people are, very rarely do people even get to meet their SoulMates."

Allyson nodded as she smiled, her chocolate brown eyes gaining back their sparkle and I guess I didn't realize till now, but as I looked closer I saw there were hints of gold mixed in with the brown. Strands of her light brown hair had fallen in front of her face and without thinking I reached out to brush it back behind her ears.

"I feel like…" I whispered as I felt like I was staring at her for a little longer than I intended to. "I feel like…something's different…like I'm noticing, seeing things differently than I did before."

"I studied that that can happen when SoulMates establish their first connection, seeing their name unlocks something inside where all you can see now is each other…" Allyson said with a shrug. "I can honestly say it's true. I never thought I would get the chance to experience it myself. That I would only know the feeling through my studies."

"Thank god I have someone who has all the answers to this…" I said as I turned back to look at her name.

"Bones! I was just given our first away mission! We're about to go back into space!"

The doors to the medical lab opened and in walked our very own Captain who stopped at the door, mouth open as he stared back and forth between Allyson and myself who was still half naked. The cogs in his brain moved as he connected two and two before a shit eating grin appeared on his face.

"Finally showed Ally her name did you?" Jim smirked as he walked up to us. "At least take her out to dinner first before doing the horizontal tango, Bones."

I stuttered at such accusations, Allyson clearly not at all bothered as she just stared back at Jim with her head cocked to the side.

"You knew Leonard had my name?" Allyson asked in confusion.

"I was his roommate!" Jim proclaimed with a shrug of his shoulders. "I would've seen any name on his body."

"And yet, instead of telling me, you decided to openly flirt with her." I asked Jim with a glare as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You didn't know what name you had, so I thought, what harm would it do to try." Jim held his hands up in defense. "However, I knew I never stood a chance the moment she said she follows her Mark. So! Getting you guys to know each other was the next best thing, you just needed to figure it out by yourself in the end."

"The flirting stops now, I hope." I said with a slight threat underlining every word.

"I have no control on whatever comes out of my mouth, just know that there's no intent behind it." Jim shrugged his shoulder. "My two best friends, I could cry."

I rolled my eyes as Allyson shook her head, the same thought crossing both our minds. Jim will always be Jim.

"I ask that there be no PDA aboard my bridge." Jim smiled. "In all honesty, I'm happy for you both. Maybe Bones will be more bearable to be around now that he has a little lady on his arms."

"Shut up, Jim." I said. "I'll be repeating the same thing when you find your SoulMate."

"Never going to happen." Jim shook his head, the same cocky smile on his face.

"Now, if we're done here. You, Jim, also forgot to report to me for your medical checkup." I pointedly said to Jim.

"Oh, look at the time!" Jim said as he turned to leave. "I have a meeting with Admiral Pike about the Enterprise's next voyage into space."

"I'm going to hate being yours and Allyson's ship doctor…" I mumbled as I stepped forward to stop Jim from leaving, forcefully pushing my friend back onto one of the biobeds.

"I'll go get your shirt." Allyson offered.

"Thank you Allyson." I nodded in appreciation as I kept Jim from leaving.

"Well…aren't you two sweet…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww! I enjoyed writing the sweet interaction between Bones and Allyson, and the brief past of Allyson. In the next few chapters will be filler chapters that I hope can strengthen the bonds between the crew of the Enterprise before we go into the next movie. I think it'll be rather enjoyable!


	11. Birthday Special!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is another nice little fluff/filler chapter that I hope you all enjoy (a little story base as well)! I really hope I didn't stray too far from the main characters personality haha. Thank you for the kudos and comments since the last chapter! They were all greatly appreciated!

We had only gotten a week's worth of rest before Starfleet sent us back into space. Under the command of Captain James T. Kirk we were sent off to monitor documented planets along with observing any new life should we come across any on our away missions. In the time we've been in space we've had at least three uneventful and long missions, and today I was going to take advantage and enjoy my first days off since we first left Earth.

Leonard and I were taking things slow, or trying to, our breaks were scheduled at the same time (the perks of being senior officers) so we'd have lunch together. I would get off my shift before Leonard, and I made it my duty to make sure that Leonard also got off on time. He tended to lose track of time when he buries himself into his work along with forgetting to eat dinner before he turned in for the night. I've made the comment that as someone who took care of others excessively, he failed to take care of himself in times that really counted.

Today, however, I was going to spend it locked away in my quarters, out of uniform, listening to some good old Earth music playing from my computer. At least, that was the plan until my computer started to beep. Notifying me that I had an incoming video call.

'Odd…' I thought as I got up from my bed and moved over to my desk. When I saw the name that blinked on my screen I could only smile as I accepted the call. "Good afternoon Ambassador Spock."

I had gotten Ambassador Spock's contact info from my own Spock after we had some time to rest, and when Ambassador Spock had time to settle the remaining living Vulcans on the new planet I had decided to contact him. We didn't talk much about any serious matters, simple greetings and concerns for each other's well being. It reminded me of the calls you would make to your grandparents, not speaking from experience, but from what I heard from other cadets at the academy.

He was able to provide me with more information about SoulMarks that his time had found when they had studied up on them. You see, he had told me how SoulMarks were considered very important in his timeline, and how treasured they were considered. A complete opposite from how our timeline treated SoulMarks. For example, if a connection is established through years of bonding, there was a case where SoulMarks could feel what the other person could feel. Another was that they established a sort of telepathic communication, but only if the bond had years to grow and solidify. And then…there were other cases where if one had died the other being so invested both mind and body, died as well.

It was very informative and it opened my eyes to how much we still did not know about these tattoos that were on our body's. And as much as possible, we tried to steer clear of speaking about my future self.

"Greetings Miss DeLuca." Ambassador Spock nodded his head in greeting.

"And to you Ambassador Spock, I hope things on New Vulcan are going according to plan." I sat back into my chair. "Not that I don't enjoy our company, but it's very rare that you would contact me first, is everything okay?"

"I am contacting you…in regards to the name on your left wrist." Ambassador Spock said as he looked to be contemplating on his next words. "The moment I saw your Mark I had a lot to think about."

"About what?" I asked curiously.

"Whether or not I should reveal to you what I know of that name." Ambassador Spock said.

"Was he…part of your crew?" I asked as I looked down at the name that was written on my left wrist. Ambassador Spock shook his head before he looked away from his screen. The corner of his mouth turned down in a deep frown.

"I am conflicted, Nero and myself's presence has altered your timeline too much that I had made a vow to never give information that could alter it anymore than it has. On one hand I feel you should walk the best path you think you should take, but on another…I feel you deserve to know." Ambassador Spock said. "However, my resolve had crumbled because when it comes to you Allyson DeLuca, your very presence aboard the Enterprise is proof enough that you are walking a different path than you were meant to. That me divulging in information that I know will not change anything, but simply help you decide where to go should the time come."

"Ambassador Spock…you're scaring me." I spoke up honestly as I bought my legs up onto my chair, tucking one underneath me as I used the other to lean on. "Who is…Khan…?

"Khan Noonien Singh," Ambassador Spock sighed. "a man who's intelligence and strength could measure if not surpass my own. He was brilliant, ruthless, and labelled a war criminal. I advise you to never let your guard down around that man should you come across him. He will not hesitate to kill every single one of you." Ambassador Spock advised. "Khan was one of the Enterprise's greatest adversaries…"

"He was a criminal…" I looked back at my wrist with worry. "and you're saying he'll pose a danger to my crew, to my friends…"

"Any being he finds less superior to him or his crew…he will kill." Ambassador Spock said. "I tell you this not to instill fear, but to act as a warning. For someone like you to be paired to someone like him…" Ambassador Spock shook his head. "do not trust so easily Allyson, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants…even go so far as to betray your kindness if he realizes he can gain it so easily."

"But you don't know for sure if we'll ever come across him." I stated. "As you've said, instances in our time are completely different now from yours, we may never meet this person."

"No, I do not know, but there is always a possibility." Ambassador Spock said. "Whatever you do Allyson, never show Khan your Mark…never tell him your name."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"As you know, SoulMarks and SoulMates to us are considered extremely important, but to some they are a weakness." Ambassador Spock said. "For one person to have the power to bend another to their will. Though a SoulMate can bring out the best in a person they can also bring the strongest person to their knees. Khan…will see you as his weakness, and he will kill you. I do not wish to see a dear friend of mine lose his SoulMate without experiencing the future he deserves."

"Is it possible…that the Khan on my wrist is someone different than the Khan you are describing to me?" I asked hesitantly.

"Anything is possible my dear, but a name as unique as that?" Ambassador Spock shook his head. "Will you be speaking to Doctor McCoy about what you've found out today?"

"No," I shook my head. "I don't want him to concern himself over something like that. He'd worry about it constantly. If we come across such a man…we'll deal with it then."

"I apologize Miss DeLuca." Ambassador Spock said.

"No, thank you for letting me know Ambassador Spock." I smiled sadly as I looked down at my wrist. "One SoulMate wants to kill me and the other is still weary about me…"

"I thought you had said your talk with Doctor McCoy went well?" Ambassador Spock asked.

"It did, and we're taking it slow, but I think there's a part of Leonard that…isn't quite okay with my second mark. I fear he may still be angry about his SoulMark causing a problem in his marriage as well." I said honestly.

"Has the Doctor voiced these concerns?" Ambassador Spock asked and I simply shook my head. "Then if Leonard hasn't said anything then such thoughts haven't crossed his mind. Leonard was always ruled by emotions. You could always tell what he was thinking, and he'd make it known what he was feeling. We've had…a few arguments in my time, and I always knew when Leonard would disagree with the decisions I've made in my past."

"I wish I could've been there to see the dynamics on your Enterprise." I said as I leaned forward. "Never a dull moment it would seem."

"As you've said…something to look forward to." Ambassador Spock nodded his head. "Trust the good doctor, if something's bothering him you'll know."

"Thank you Ambassador Spock…" I would take the Vulcan's advice, who am I to deny it. He's known Leonard more than I have so to speak. "We're about to have a short shore leave back on Earth, and I'm hoping that you could help me with something."

"Hm?" Ambassador Spock waited for me to respond.

"Leonard's birthday will fall during our shore leave." I smiled. "You're McCoy would have similar interests to mine. Do you have any ideas on what I can give him?"

"…I have a few…" Ambassador Spock smiled as he started to tell me more about his McCoy.

* * *

Jim on this particular day while they were on shore leave was visiting Leonard for a birthday drink, the two men having a simple conversation before there was a knock on Leonard's door.

"I'll get it, you just sit there and relax." Jim offered as he got up from the chair he was sitting on.

When he got to the door to greet the person on the other side, Jim got quite a surprise when there, standing in front of him was his very own TIC. Allyson's wide eyes stared up at Jim before her brows furrowed in confusion. "Ally! What a surprise! What are you doing here on this fine, beautiful day?"

"This…" Allyson leaned back to look at the number on the door before looking back at her Captain curiously. "this is…Leonard's apartment…isn't it?"

"No, it's mine." Jim said as he leaned on the door frame. "Did you subconsciously miss my charming smile that you came to my apartment instead?"

"I'll see you when we go back into space." Allyson said as she turned to leave before Jim laughed, grabbing Allyson's wrist to pull her back to the apartment.

"I'm joking Ally, you've got the right apartment. Bones!" Jim yelled back into the room. "Your Mate's here!"

"Please don't call her that…" Leonard shook his head with a smile on his face as he came to the front door, switching places with Jim. "Hello Ally, is everything okay?"

"Leonard," Allyson instantly brightened the moment her eyes met Leonard. "everything's okay. I actually came here…to invite you out."

"Actually, I have pl-" _**"Whatever it is, he'll go."**_

Jim suddenly pushed Leonard aside, answering for the poor man who had lost his balance from being shoved to the side.

"Um…" Allyson poked her head into the apartment to see if Leonard was okay, the man was out of sight but she saw a hand on the other side of the couch give a weak wave to dismiss her concern.

"What time should he be ready?" Jim asked for Leonard.

"Uh…I'll be around at seven o'clock." Allyson finally answered as she looked back to Jim.

"Formal? Casual?" Jim asked.

"Semi-formal." Allyson answered.

"Great!" Jim said as he started to close the door. "I'll have him ready to go by then. Bye Ally!"

Jim gently shut the door in Ally's face, waiting a good five minutes before turning to Leonard who looked peeved at Jim at having been shoved away along with tripping over the couch.

"Jim, what the hell!" Leonard glared at his friend.

"Bones you were just about to reject a very attractive woman's invitation, who might I remind you is your Mate, for a night on the town. I just saved you from making the worst decision of your life! Not to mention the look of absolute heartbreak on Ally's face if you rejected her." Jim brushed off Leonard's glare. "We can hang out any time, but this! This is your first official date!"

"We've been on dates before…" Leonard defended under his breath.

"Having lunch together and going back to work is not a date." Jim retaliated. "You've been out of the game for years if you think those could be considered 'official' dates. Maybe if you were married yeah, but no. Now!" Jim turned and made his way to Leonard's room. "Ally said semi formal, so I'm going to say dress shirt, slacks and dress shoes. Forget the tie, and maybe bring a coat. In case she gets cold, you can place it over her shoulders."

"You're acting like a parent getting their only child ready for the school dance…" Leonard couldn't help but laugh at his friend's silly antics, until he walked into his room and saw Jim throwing his clothes in his closet all around the room. Now he just wanted to strangle the man. "Jim!"

"Come on Bones this is exciting!" Jim exclaimed. "You need to dress to impress!"

"I have five more hours until she comes back!" Leonard argued.

"I know where she lives, you'll go and pick her up." Jim's explanation caused Leonard to give the man a glare. Jim shook his head and dismissed his friend's disapproval. "I have to know where all my crew lives in case of an emergency. Even though she has the evening all planned out it's not right for her to come pick you up. Be the proper gentlemen I know you to be. Now, when was the last time you went on a date?"

"It's been forever," Leonard shrugged his shoulders. "not since my marriage."

"Then my dear Doctor, Dating 101 and class is in session." Jim said with a cheeky smile.

"The last thing I want is dating advice from you." Leonard brushed Jim aside.

* * *

"Allyson, where are we going?" I asked as the two of us walked side by side. "What are we doing that requires us to dress up to the nine?"

"Dinner, after all I did see you half naked before wine and dining you as you've said." Allyson said as she looped her arm with mine. "I found this cute hole in the wall restaurant I think you'll enjoy."

When I had gone to pick up Allyson, I was kind of caught by surprise at what greeted me when she opened the door. She wore a casual black one shoulder dress that stopped mid thigh, the right side being sleeveless to show off my name while the left was covered. Her hair was loosely braided to the side along those same black heels she wore when we went out drinking with Jim.

How do I know women fashion some might ask, well…I was married.

"Are your feet okay?" I asked Allyson who stumbled just a bit.

"They're fine." Allyson replied before she started to tug on my arm. "Over there!"

Allyson was vibrating with excitement as she started to drag me in the direction of the restaurant. I didn't get a chance to see the name over the restaurant because Allyson had dragged me through the door, but the moment we entered the soothing sound of a band met my ears. And it wasn't just any type of band, it was a live jazz band playing on the venue where the musicians were allowed to play.

"Reservation for two for Allyson DeLuca." Allyson said to the host.

"Right on time miss." The host motioned to another host who grabbed a couple of menus before motioning for us to follow. "This way, please follow me."

This restaurant was very old fashioned, completely different compared to the others that relied solely on the technology of today, very rarely did you see places like these nowadays. Dimly lit lights and all around the center stage were tables with a candle in the center to provide us with some lighting.

Our host led us to our table, and before Allyson could reach for her chair I had beaten her to it and pulled her seat out for her.

"Thank you Leonard." Allyson smiled as she moved to the front of her chair, being careful as I pushed her seat forward. I waited for her to sit and get comfortable before going over to sit across from her.

"Allyson, what is this?" I asked, thanking the host for the menu before admiring the decor.

"I figured…we could escape from reality here. This place is a blast to the past. Live music, mood lighting, the works and no advanced technology in sight. I thought you would appreciate a place like this compared to the place Jim had taken us." Allyson looked a bit nervous. "Do you…not like it?"

"Allyson," I whispered over to her. "I can't let you pay for all this, it wouldn't feel right. This is too much for an old man like me."

"It's your birthday Leonard," Allyson brushed me off. "you can return the favor on mine if it makes you feel better."

"I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers. "Thank you Allyson. Really, thank you."

"I love this kind of music." Allyson commented as she looked over to the live band playing, engrossed in the music as she let out a contempt sigh. "On the Enterprise, my quarters will always have old Earth music playing while I relax on days I'm not scheduled to work."

"Some would think you were born in the wrong time." I smiled.

"I sometimes think I was born in the wrong time." Allyson commented. "Don't get me wrong, I love the era we live in, but sometimes I crave the classic Earth stuff."

Our waitress came over to our table to take our order, the two of us stopping our conversation for a bit out of respect before we started back up when the waitress left.

"What else do you like to do in your free time?" I asked.

"I'd rather read physical copies of books than read them on my datapad, but for convenience, because of all the books I've collected over the years it's much easier having them all complied in my personal pad. If not, my room would be filled from floor to ceiling with books." Allyson laughed.

We continued to talk over the music, even as our food came. We got to know each other better; asking the typical questions you'd ask someone you barely knew. Favorite color, favorite food, what we disliked, etc. even her favorite flowers.

"Roses." Allyson answered quickly without giving it a second thought. "Planning on buying me flowers, Leonard?"

"The next date probably." I commented. "I'm already planning for it, as a thanks for a wonderful birthday. I'll be paying just so you know."

This was easier than I expected it to be. Our conversation felt natural and flowed so easily, we laughed as we exchanged stories of our academy days and I couldn't help but admire her laugh. Her eyes would light up every time, it warmed my heart and caused butterflies in my chest. To my surprise I could still feel like a school boy having the biggest crush on the most popular girl in school. I wanted to keep making her laugh and smile. And every so often as her right hand lifted to bring food to her mouth I could see my name on her wrist. It caused me even greater joy to know that she was mine.

'If I knew this feeling is what a SoulMate could bring out in a person I would've found you sooner…' I thought to myself as I finished up my food. 'it's like being on a new level of happiness that I never knew existed until now, and it's all thanks to this woman sitting in front of me.'

"Before I forget!" Allyson suddenly said, causing me to jump in surprise. I watched as Allyson reached into her little back and pulled out a little black box. She grabbed my hand and placed it into mine before smiling from ear to ear. "Happy Birthday Leonard."

My brow rose at the object in my hand, my mind going in all directions and at first I wanted to drop the box before deciding against it.

I opened the box and inside was something I expected, but at the same time…it wasn't what I thought it was. It was a simple gold band ring with a blue jewel in the center of it. "A…pinky ring?"

"On the ship I noticed you wore a class ring…" Allyson said as I saw a light blush on her cheeks. "so I thought…maybe this would match you more. It's similar to the one you have, just less bulky so it won't get in the way much while you work…I had a little help picking it out."

There was nothing I could say to that that could completely express the emotions I was feeling. To think that she took notice of such a small thing I was wearing warmed my heart.

I took her hand in mine as I stood from my seat and leaned forward, motioning for her to do the same. When she stood up and leaned forward, I used my free hand and reached forward, caressing the side off her neck and placed a feathered kiss to her forehead.

"Allyson…" I looked down at her, holding eye contact as I sat back in my chair and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "thank you for the amazing birthday present."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know it's not Leonard's birthday, BUT! I figured since my birthday passed I'd do a birthday special lol. So, I know I saw the ring in the second movie, but it took me another rewatch to realize that Karl Urban was wearing a ring as well in the first movie haha. And in my opinion it looked a little bulky compared to the ring DeForest wore in the original series (though it could be my eyes, I don't know). So! The ring Ally gives our lovely country doctor is based on the ring that DeForest wears in the original series. =)


	12. The Mudd Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I apologize for not updating last week and being late this week, there's no excuse I just needed a mental health day/week lol. Thank you everyone for your patience, I will try and update weekly (though there's no set date on what day I would be updating specifically). As always I appreciate all the love, comments, kudos, and bookmarks!

"Space…" Leonard grumbled from his chair, scribbling furiously on the piece of paper that was on his desk. He had said it was a report he had to do, and when I told him he could do it on his PADD he told me to shush. "I hate space..."

"We've been in space for almost a year." I smiled from my seat across from Leonard, taking a sip from the cup I had brought to his office. "You'd think you'd get used to it by now."

"And where'd you get that from?" Leonard asked me as he pointed at my cup.

"From the food replicator in the mess hall." I giggled before looking at the time on his computer. "It's almost time for you to clock out."

"You know Ally, you've been off schedule for a couple hours." Leonard sighed. "You truly don't have to wait for me. You're free to turn in for the night."

"I know you Leonard, if I don't wait for you and remind you that your shift is over you'll go without dinner, lock yourself in this office of yours and get close to no sleep. You'd end up working straight into your next shift and you won't stop until you collapse from exhaustion or starvation. Not to mention if I don't bring anything to drink we can add dehydration into the mix." I scolded him with a knowing look. "Need I go on?"

Leonard could only shake his head at how ridiculous I was sounding, but he couldn't refute my statement. He knew he tended to do that and he didn't dare try to prove me wrong.

"You're too good to me." Leonard complimented, placing his pen down as he lifted his arms up and stretched out his back.

"I was made for you." I replied back before holding a hand up to my mouth to stifle a yawn.

"I'll clock out and escort you to your room." Leonard said, but as he got up from his chair the communicator on his desk whirred to life and Spock's voice came through from the other end.

"Doctor McCoy." Spock spoke. "Do you know the whereabouts of Commander DeLuca? She has not answered my calls to her quarters, and the Captain has said that she would be in your office at this hour. He had mentioned something about strengthening the bonds of your Mark."

"Doctor McCoy here, Commander DeLuca is in my office." Leonard said before letting out a huff. "And you can tell the Captain to shut up."

"Noted." Spock's voice added. "Commander DeLuca, though you have finished for the evening, the Captain has requested that you and Doctor McCoy report to the bridge."

"Is it an emergency?" I asked curiously.

"More…peculiar. I think you should see for yourself." Spock said.

"We'll be right there." I assured Spock before I ended our call.

"Duty calls…" I smiled as I got up to stretch. "mind if I leave my cup here? I'll come back after we finish up on the bridge to retrieve it."

"Not a problem." Leonard said as he quickly stepped around his desk to beat me to the door, standing in the sensor and waiting for me to exit before him. "Maybe we can get a quick light dinner. Eating a full meal before sleep isn't good for us."

* * *

"You called for us Captain?" I announced our presence before stepping onto the bridge with Leonard walking in right behind me.

"Ally! Bones!" Jim smiled as he turned his chair to face us. "Yes, take a look at this."

On the center view screen there looked to be a lone ship that seemed to be attempting to distance itself from our own.

"When you left, Commander, an unregistered ship had flown past us, though we've tried many times to establish communication, the captain of the ship has refused to answer on all frequencies." Nyota reported to me. "We've tried multiple times, yet with each attempt it seemed he's been intentionally trying to run away from us."

"At the rate he's going he'll overload his engines." I observed before turning to Jim. "All we have to do is be patient and not lose sight of him."

"He's changing course Captain." Sulu said before leaning over to Chekov. "He knows we're after him, no doubt about that."

"Is it an Earth ship?" Jim asked both Spock and myself.

"It's difficult to say…" Spock said as he attempted to do a reading on the ship that kept weaving from side to side.

I went over to my station, clocking in before bringing up an estimated course layout to make sure that ship wasn't leading us into potential danger. "He's pushing his engines too far…any second now his ship will overheat and come to a dead stop."

"Jim…" Leonard whispered as he leaned on the captain's chair. "why am I here?"

"In case there are civilians on board that are in need of medical attention." Jim responded. "Didn't want you or Ally to fall asleep on me."

"Sensor reading on vessel, Captain." Spock called from his station. "K'normian trading ship, and his engines are heating up fast."

"He's headed for an incoming asteroid belt, Captain." I reported, seeing on my screen little dots that was out of our flight path, but the trade ship would definitely drift into should his ship fail. "He'd be in trouble should he stop dead in its path."

"Shields up, Mister Sulu." Jim ordered as he stayed seated in his chair. "Lieutenant Uhura, send him one final warning, we're confiscating his ship and he's to surrender peacefully. Him and his crew are to board our ship, any signs of hostility and we will place him in our holding cells. He won't be allowed out until we release him back on Earth to Starfleet to stand trial for resisting capture."

"His engine has lost power, Captain." I said as I tried to send a message of surrender. "He's drifting into the oncoming stray asteroids. He'll be done for unless we place our own deflector screen around his ship."

"Don't be daft! After our own chase if we try and place our own deflector screen around his ship we'll overload our own engines! He's too far away." Scotty, who I guess Jim was in close communication with, spoke up from the comm on the captain's chair.

Jim held eye contact with Spock and myself before looking toward navigation.

"Cover him with our deflector screen, Mister Chekov." Jim said after having a moment to think over our options, and weighing out the opinions of all his senior officers aboard the bridge.

"Aye, Captain." Chekov responded.

"Scotty, head to meet up with Spock and standby in shuttlebay." Jim responded before ending communication on his end. "Ally, Bones. You two will accompany them, should there be any aboard that needs medical attention I'd want my two best on the job. After, feel free to have some quality time alone."

"We're protecting him, Captain, but…we won't be able to hold it long. We need to quickly get his ship docked." Was the last thing I heard from Chekov before Spock, Leonard and myself took the turbo lift down to the level that held a second lift that would take us straight to the shuttlebay level.

"I swear…" I commented as I stood between Spock and Leonard. "after Jim found out about our Mark, he's taking every opportunity he can to make small comments about it."

"The guy was clearly trying to run away and got himself into this mess…" Leonard grumbled, already in one of his moods from having close to little to no sleep. "why can't he just listen to Engineer Scott."

"That's how our Captain is." Spock responded just as the door to the lift opened, we were quickly on our way to the second lift. The lights above us dimmed for a second before turning back on. "It would seem we've blown out one of our lithium crystal circuits.

The lights then dimmed a second time and I could only sigh. "There goes another…"

"Allyson," Jim's voice spoke up coming from a nearby transmission station, interrupting us from getting to the next destination. "the ship has docked safely onto our ship with a group of security officers surrounding the trade ship. They are waiting for you to arrive. Please let me know when our 'guests' have stepped off their ship."

"Understood Captain." I answered the station before the three of us continued forward.

"Commander Spock. Ally!" Scotty called as he came running to catch up to us. "Doctor McCoy. Seems we have a bit of a trouble maker on our hands."

"How much lithium crystal circuits did we blow?" Spock asked Scotty as I slowed my steps to walk beside Leonard, leaving the Scottish man and Spock to talk.

"About three give or take…we're gonna need to restock them else we'll be sitting ducks. We only have one running this whole ship, soon we'll be running on battery power." Scotty sighed. "Lets hope she can hold out and pray that there's a mining planet nearby."

Once we made it to the shuttlebay there was at least a group of five security personnel standing just outside the trade ship that had yet to open their doors.

"Lieutenant Dering," Spock was the first to speak up to catch the guards attention. "status update?"

"We're waiting for the captain to exit the ship." Lieutenant Dering reported. "We've tried to make contact, but no sign of life just yet."

"We don't have time for this…" I sighed as I glared up at the trade ship. "this is Commander Allyson DeLuca of the USS Enterprise! We've tried to be nice and let you come to us on your own terms, but you have resisted our attempted contacts and tried to outrun us. Now, you've burned out your engines and we shielded you and your crew from any danger that posed a threat to your ship. We ask that you surrender peacefully. Let it be known we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. The choice is yours."

For a few seconds the ship made no indication of opening up, but just when I was about to give order to our security officers to force the door open the ship started to move. The doors opened and out walked a man who seemed quite big in stature wearing a cowboy hat and a handlebar mustache. He stepped off of his ship with a grin on his face as he opened his arms out to welcome us.

"Aboard the USS Enterprise eh? It's really a darn beautiful ship, isn't it?" The man looked around the shuttlebay area, his hands tucked into the giant belt around his waist, and still with a smile on his face. "Really a beautiful ship." The man had a slight twinkle in his eyes the moment he turned to look back at our little group before realizing something as he held out his hand toward us. "Oh, the name, gentlemen, is Walsh. Captain Leo Walsh."

"How many more in your crew?" Spock asked from my side.

"Just a few more." Walsh said, I was not going to call him Leo.

"Please let them know we mean them no harm, but we need them to exit your ship." I replied. "We need to see to any injuries they may have sustained during the chase between our ships resulting in you overheating your engines."

"Well…we couldn't be sure you was a friendly vessel, now could we?" Walsh said.

"God, it says 'USS Enterprise' on the hull of our ship…" Leonard grumbled quietly by my side.

"Come now ladies, don't be shy. It's all right, darlings." Walsh called back into his ship. "Come greet these fine gentlemen."

"I'm here too…" I thought with a glare as I looked past Walsh to the ship and to my surprise, out walked three beautiful young women. Two blondes and one raven haired women dressed in such colorful, body-hugging, risqué clothing that sparkled in certain angles when the light hit. I saw Walsh give the men around me a smirk and for a second I didn't understand why until I took a glance at the men present.

Aside from Spock it seemed like the men were entranced by the women, they had a sort of glow about them that seemed to command the attention of these men…and for a split second I saw the same glint in Leonard's eyes before he closed them and it had vanished.

'Men…' I thought with a sneer before I heard my personal communicator go off. "DeLuca here."

"Ally, report. What's going on with the trade ship?" Jim's voice came through.

"We have a Captain Leo Walsh along with his three passengers aboard, it doesn't look like they have any visible wounds that need tending to." I reported before whispering ever so slightly. "You're going to have a field day with this Captain."

"If Captain Walsh can talk I want him in my cabin immediately." Jim said. "Kirk out."

"The Captain wishes to speak to you Mister Walsh, if you don't mind following me." I repeated to the man.

"Fella sounded a mite upset, didn't he?" Walsh asked.

"You did try to outrun a federation ship, and while in pursuit it had caused some damage to our own ship." I said as I motioned back to the way we came. "Shall we get going?"

Spock was the first to leave, and for a second the three ladies didn't follow, simply staring at the remaining men that were about to get left behind. I cleared my throat to gain their attention. "Ladies?"

I moved into their line of vision, cutting the view from both men and women and urged the three to follow after Walsh before taking up the rear. Though not before throwing one glance back over my shoulders. "Men, I'd pick my jaw off the ground else you attract flies. Mister Scott, please look over the trade ship, fix and report any damage that was done."

"Ye-yes Commander." Scotty stuttered before the men jumped into action.

"Ally-" Leonard tried to stop me before I sighed.

"Doctor McCoy, please turn in for the night. If the Captain needs you I'll call for you." I said with a small smile before leaving to follow Spock.

On our walk toward the lift all around the ship I watched as the crew, mainly the men that were working their shift, stop their work to stare and gawk at the passing women.

"Sure, these starships are really something marvelous, but men will always be men, no matter where they are." Walsh commented before entering the lift with the ladies. "Eh, Mister? You'll never take that out of them."

'Ugh!' I thought in disgust as I entered the lift, Spock was the last to join us and just when I thought he was going to step to my left, he had motioned for me to move over so he was situated between Walsh and myself. 'Note to self, thank Spock later.'

I pushed the button on the lift and as we waited for the lift to stop I could feel a slight tension building while being in the lift. Curiosity got the best of me, and when I turned ever so slightly to look over my shoulder I noticed that all three women were staring intensely at the back of Spock's head.

"You're part Vulcanian, aren't you?" Walsh asked Spock who only hummed in confirmation. "Ah, well then, a pretty face doesn't affect you at all, does it? That is, not unless you want it to."

'A pretty face does affect him,' I thought as I stared blankly at the door of the lift. 'just not yours I'm afraid.'

"You can save it, girls. This type can turn himself off from any emotion." Walsh commented and I really did want to say something, speak up for my friend, but I decided otherwise and kept biting the inside of my cheeks.

I couldn't explain why, but these girls…there was just something that didn't feel right with them.

The lift came to a stop, and when the doors opened the girls started to file out before the one in the pink dress stopped right besides Spock.

"I apologize for what he said, sir." The woman spoke up. "He's so used to buying and selling people."

"I'll handle the conversation, darlin'." Walsh cut in as he motioned for the girl to leave.

Spock and myself followed not far behind the group as we escorted them to Jim's quarters, and it was at this time I decided to voice what I wanted to say. Out of earshot of course.

"I don't like him, or the girls…" I muttered to Spock. "something doesn't sit right with me about this situation at all." I grumbled as more of the men we passed blatantly turned their heads to watch as the girls walk by. "Pretty faces, a pretty smile, bat their eyelashes and they've already got the entire crew eating out of their hands. Along with my own doctor."

"Jealousy Commander?" Spock commented with a quirk of his brow. "I suppose when concerning a Mate, logic gets set aside and emotions take full control."

"Shush." I scolded Spock. "I studied that Mate's can be very territorial if they want to when it seems some…unknown presence can't respect certain boundaries. I suppose I should try and keep it under control. Keep that in mind Spock, I'd hate to see Nyota's jealousy rise."

"I'll take it from here Allyson," Spock offered. "if your presence is needed, I shall call for you."

He didn't have to tell me twice, I didn't want to be around **_Captain_** Walsh or his crew.

* * *

"I'm telling you Nyota, something doesn't feel right about those women." I argued as the two of us made our way to the mess hall.

"Could it be that you're just experiencing the effects of the SoulMark? You said we experience emotions more intensely than the average person in love." Nyota asked with a smile.

"…possibly…" I mumbled in defeat as I glanced back at Nyota who only stared back at me with a knowing smile. "shut up…"

"You're starting to sound like Leonard." Nyota teased.

"I could say the same about you." I mumbled before Nyota looped her arm with mine.

"It'll be fine," Nyota assured. "nothing can break SoulMates. You said so yourself."

When we entered the mess hall, there weren't many people present, thankfully, but I had to groan when I realized that in the very far corner were the objects of our conversation.

"Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear." I commented before Nyota started to tug me toward the food replicator.

"Don't mind them, just let them be. We'll take a seat further away from them." Nyota tried to calm me down.

Being in space for close to a year, I've been able to bond more with my fellow crewmates other than the usual people I hung around with. For example, I knew Sulu had a lovely husband and a daughter waiting for him back on Earth and how he loved to fence. Sulu gave me a lesson or two on the rare days that our days off coincided.

Chekov took great pride in his Russian culture, when we'd talk, every invention that was brought up in our conversation was founded by a Russian man or woman…though I dared not correct him when he was wrong. I found it quite adorable.

Scotty was very in love with the Enterprise, and sometimes when he had asked for a hand in Engineering because we were short on staff, we'd pass the time having a friendly discussion about how the Enterprise functioned while we worked. Adding in that we would have a few drinks here and there after we'd finish for the day, those were when our discussions would sometimes turn into a debate on how to properly care for a starship.

Nyota especially became a very good girlfriend of mine. There was too much testosterone while we worked on the bridge that having these female moments really helped deal with the stress of dealing with mostly men on our ship. I was the person she'd go to when she had questions concerning her Mark, along with simply ranting about Spock in times he made her angry. She even helped me with my own dilemma after having accidentally entered my room and caught a glimpse of both of my Marks, though not enough to see in detail the names I held at the time.

It took a while, but I told her my story as we sat face to face on my bed, losing track of time before we gave in to our exhaustion. She told me we should do it again, that she hadn't had a 'sleepover' since she was a little girl…whatever that meant.

And then I made the mistake of asking her what she meant by that, and when she realized I never experienced things that I should've experienced when I was little she made it her duty to do everything friends would do. It was all very exciting!

"Maybe you're right Nyota." I commented as I took a seat beside the woman. "I suppose it's true. It's one thing to study SoulMarks, it's another to experience it first hand. I just have to try and control such…profound emotions. Must make Starfleet look good, can't let such urges loose."

"Any new development between you and our CMO?" Nyota asked curiously.

"We're taking things…slow." I smiled as I thought about Leonard. "I spent his birthday with him on our last shore leave, with the advice from Ambassador Spock I think he greatly enjoyed his gift."

"Anything else?" Nyota giggled as she dug into the food in front of her. "First kiss? Did he stay over? Did you go over to his apartment?"

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell." I smirked before the two of us bursted out laughing.

"Ally, Nyota. Are these seats taken?" A charming voice interrupted our little bubble.

"Sorry Captain, no boys allowed I'm afraid." I shared a smile with Nyota which Jim simply brushed my statement off.

"So, what were you two girls talking about?" Jim asked as he took a seat across from me and surprisingly Spock had tagged along and sat across from Nyota, the two sharing a smile before turning to Jim. "Any juicy details you'd want to share?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Nyota lightly glared back at our Captain.

"Any update on Captain Walsh and his…crew?" I asked Jim as I picked at my plate.

"Yes! We're holding a hearing in the briefing room for Mister Leo Walsh. Not only did he knowingly try to outrun a federation ship, I don't trust what he says, I can feel it in my gut. Something doesn't seem right with the man, and I'm concerned about the hypnotic effect those women are having on the men aboard my ship. Also, our ship seems to have blown a circuit or three." Jim said as he shoveled food into his mouth while still giving me an update on what's going on on our ship. "So-"

"Our ship can't function on just one power supply, so logically we'd need to go to…what mining planet is close by…" I hummed in thought before snapping my fingers. "Rigel-12 to get more lithium crystals." I finished for Jim who sulked in his seat.

"For once, can't you just…let me know something that you don't?" Jim laughed. "Let me have my fun and be Captain."

"Having Spock for a friend back in the academy, I'll always be one step ahead of you Captain." I countered.

 _"Gentlemen, you are all too kind."_ I heard one of the woman's sickly sweet voice say. _"If you don't mind, we're exhausted and would like some time to ourselves."_

 _"A lot of men on this ship are_ ** _very_** _easy on the eyes…"_

" _I agree, did you get a good look at their Captain?"_

_"Yes! Such beautiful blue eyes and that smile!"_

I saw Jim smirk, clearly listening in on the women's conversation just like we were.

_"What about their First Officer? What was his name again? That Vulcanian as Leo had called him."_

"Could they talk any more louder…" Nyota mumbled under her breath.

_"Don't you remember what Leo said? A pretty face doesn't have any effect on his kind. But I will say, those ears-"_

I nudged Nyota and gave her a wink, the two of us sharing a silent conversation knowing full well that only she can have that kind of effect on the Vulcan sitting across from her.

_"Well then, what about that lovely country doctor? Seems like he knows how to truly treat a lady."_

_"Think that he's the marrying type? A man like him may come with_ ** _great_** _perks. I guarantee that he's really good with his hands."_

I almost spit out my water…almost. I was able to recover and brush it off as simply the liquid going down the wrong pipe.

_"His uniform hugs all the right places, pools of strikingly intelligent hazel eyes, and that southern drawl when he gets hot and bothered."_

Subconsciously I started tapping irritably on the table as I closed my eyes to keep my breathing even, biting my tongue to keep from speaking up and possibly saying something I'd regret. I had to remember to keep some form of professional appearance. I was a Starfleet officer, I couldn't give in to the intense instincts of a SoulMate that I've heard and studied so much about.

"You know Bones has eyes only for you right?" Jim jumped in, placing his hand over my own to stop my drumming. "After all, SoulMates only have eyes for each other. Isn't that what you said?"

"I've studied them long enough to know that Captain." I said as a matter-of-factly.

"Then relax, that little green eyed monster doesn't suit you." Jim smiled.

"That's a bad thing to say about your First Officer, Jim." I teased, Jim and Nyota laughed as Spock simply stared between the three of us as if we had lost our minds.

Jim's communicator beeped to life that caused our laughter to cease as our attention was drawn to Jim who answered immediately. "Kirk here."

"We're ready for you Captain," a voice called from the other end. "we're having security escorting Leo Walsh to the briefing room. I have contacted nearby security to escort the women as well."

"We'll be right there, Kirk out." Jim said, cutting his communication off without hearing the reply. "Spock. Allyson. Shall we?"

"Remind me why I have to be there?" I asked with curiosity.

"I need all my senior officers present as my Board Members." Jim said as he took my arm and hauled me to my feet. "I'll make sure you sit right beside our grumpy doctor, and those women stay 6 feet away."

"Have fun you three." Nyota waved to us as we left.

* * *

"This hearing is convened. Stardate 2259.32 on board the Starship USS Enterprise. This formal hearing against transport vessel's Captain Leo Walsh." Jim finally spoke up after every summoned person was present and had time to settle into their seats. As Jim said, he had seated me right between him and Leonard to his right while Spock was to his left besides the ship's computer to document our meeting for the ship's records, and right across was Leo Walsh and his crew of hypnotic women. "Spock, start the computer."

On the computer in front of us a polygraph line flashed on the screen and I saw Walsh squirm just a bit in his seat before Spock spoke up. "State your name for the record."

"Leo Francis Walsh." The man responded clearly before the graph in front of us started to jump from its normal wavelength. **"INCORRECT."**

"Please state your correct name." Spock repeated once more.

'Walsh' started to fidget once more as his eyes darted nervously back and forth from Spock, to the computer, and then back to the rest of us who were present before smiling.

"Gentlemen, surely you're not going to take the word of a soulless mechanical device over that of a real, flesh-and-blood man." 'Walsh' questioned as the rest of us remained indifferent, waiting patiently for the man to give us an answer before Spock let out a quiet sigh.

"State your correct name for the record." Spock repeated, seeming a tad bit impatient at the man's antics and his constant habit of trying to obstruct this hearing and avoiding the subject.

"Harry Mudd." The man yielded as his fingers began tapping on the table top before the computer debunked his statement again. **"INCORRECT."** Harry was taken back before dropping his facade. "Harcourt Fenton Mudd."

"Any past offenses, Mister Mudd?" Spock questioned for the record.

"Of course not Gentlemen, I'm simply an honest businessman." Mudd said, still trying to charm his way out of the predicament he found himself in before the computer quickly interjected once more. **"INCORRECT."**

Mudd's lips were drawn in a thin line as he glared at the computer screen in front of us. "Blast that tin-plated pot."

**"FULL DATA COMING ON-SCREEN."**

I leaned forward to get a better look, according to his records the man sitting in front of us was a full out criminal. This was a police record! And he was a wanted man no less.

 **"OFFENSE RECORD-SMUGGLING. SENTENCE…SUSPENDED. TRANSPORT OF STOLEN GOODS. PURCHASE OF SPACE VESSEL WITH COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY."** The computer began to list off before Jim looked to me, already knowing full well what we should do about this situation. **"SENTENCES-PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT, EFFECTIVENESS DISPUTED."**

"Mister Mudd," Jim cut off the computer. "you're charged with galaxy travel without a flight plan, without an identification beam, and failure to answer a Starship's signal, thus effecting a menace to navigation."

"What, my tiny, little ship in this immense galaxy a menace to navigation?" Mudd stated with an incredulous chuckle.

"You're also charged with operating a vessel without a Master's license." Jim kept listing off without paying any attention to what Mudd was saying.

"Untrue!" Mudd interjected with a smug smile. "I have a Master's ticket."

 **"INCORRECT"** The computer cut Mudd off. **"MASTER'S LICENSE REVOKED STARDATE 2258.233."**

"All right." Mudd seemed to finally give in, realizing that against our computer system he wouldn't be able to get away with telling any lies. "Well, very simply, Leo Walsh, who was to be my Captain on this trip, passed away suddenly. Well, I had no choice but to take out me ship me own self, did I?"

As Mudd continued his speech, I stared at the girls who seemed to be staring back at us with a smile. Those doe like eyes staring at the men seated around me, almost begging for this hearing to end…one in particular seemed to be staring at the man seated to my right. From under the table I couldn't stop my fists from balling as I straightened my back, holding my head high as I glared at the woman seated just across from me.

A hand placed itself over my own, and instantly all my jumbled thoughts, the need to suddenly make myself the bigger person ceased. That hand belonged to Leonard. I cast a brief look in his direction and saw that though he remained detached and emotionless, his jawline was tense as was his body.

"Destination and purpose of journey?" Jim started to interrogate.

"Planet Ophiuchus-3." Mudd answered. "Wiving settlers."

"Come again, Mister Mudd?" Jim asked. "You do what?"

"I recruit wives, or potential wives for settlers, a difficult but satisfying task." Mudd said as he reached out to pat one of the woman's hands.

"Data on witness." Jim asked the computer.

The computer started to scan each individual woman separately, whirring as it searched our records before giving us an answer. **"NO DATA."**

"Computer, go to sensor probe." Jim ordered. "Any unusual readings?"

 **"NO DECIPHERABLE READINGS ON FEMALE CREW MEMBERS. HOWEVER, UNUSUAL READING ON FEMALE BOARD MEMBER. DETECTING INCREASED HEART RATE, HIGH STRESS HORMONES, SPIKED BLOOD PRESSURE. SIGNS OF DISCOMFORT AND DISTRESS."** The computer responded and I could only internally curse as I turned my glare toward the computer feeling my face flare up in embarrassment. **"IN ADDITION, SIMILAR UNUSUAL READING ON MALE BOARD MEMBERS. DETECTING HIGH RESPIRATION PATTERNS, PERSPIRATION RATES UP, HEARTBEAT RAPID, BLOOD PRESSURE HIGHER THAN NORMAL."**

"Uh, that's sufficient." Jim said as he gave a glance toward the four of us seated beside him. Leonard remaining stoic, Scotty slightly embarrassed and poor Chekov was just fidgeting in his seat under the women's stare.

"Captain," I said, my voice strained as I attempted to keep a cool and leveled attitude. "I humbly ask that you strike that from the record."

Jim turned to Spock and gave him a nod as Spock complied, pushing a few buttons on his computer screen before the lights above the ladies turned off.

"You see, gentlemen, just as I told you." Mudd said as he motioned to the lady to his right. "Three lovely ladies destined for frontier planets to be the companions of lonely men, to supply that warmth of a human touch that's so desperately needed-a wife, a home, a family. Don't you agree Miss?"

Mudd was looking right at me, and for a second I was going to ask who he was talking to until I realized I was the only woman present that wasn't part of his crew.

"Do I agree with what, Mister Mudd?" I asked in a professional matter.

"I'm sure you supply the needed…necessity to the man who's waiting for your attention. Isn't that what he looks for in you? A lovely thing such as yourself." Mudd had tried to get me to see his reasoning. "I'm sure you can understand the need to offer companionship."

"Mister Mudd, I take great pride in my work on this Starship, as such I take pride in myself. I'm not simply around to tend to the needs of men, or aboard simply as a pretty face to look at." I stated. "Please refrain from any attempt to get me on your side for I do not see it. Mister Spock, please redact and strike our personal conversation from the record."

Spock complied once more as Mudd was taken back by my hostility, who wouldn't be hostile if you just insulted someone and assumed they were only on this Starship simply to wait on the needs of men. Mudd recovered from the slight shock before going back to addressing Jim.

"Gentlemen, I look upon this work as a sacred public trust. I've devoted me whole life to it." Mudd smiled before the computer interrupted him once more. **"INCORRECT."**

"Well, I'm about to start devoting my entire life to it." Mudd countered.

"Did these ladies come voluntarily?" Jim asked.

"Well of course! Now, for example, Ruthie here-" Mudd pointed to the black haired woman who kept looking at Leonard. "comes from Pelagic Planet-sea ranches, Magda there-" Mudd pointed to the other short haired blonde woman. "from the Hailum Experimental Station."

"It's the same story for all of us Captain-no men." The other woman cut Mudd off. "Mine was from a farm planet with automated machines for company and two brothers to cook for, mend their clothes, canal mud a foot thick on their boots every time they walked in."

"Fine, Evie. Fine." Mudd smiled before Evie, as Mudd had called her, huffed and continued to talk. "No, it's not fine! We've got men willing to be our husbands waiting for us, and you're taking us in the opposite direction! Staring at us like we were Saturnius harem girls or something."

"That's enough, Evie." Mudd said with a smile though his voice told a different story. He was commanding her to keep quiet.

"The only charges are against Mister Mudd." Jim nodded toward the man. "Illegal operation of a vessel. Do you have any defense to offer?"

"Only heaven's own truth, which I've just given you." Mudd gave his final statement.

"The hearing is closed…" Jim said, and I couldn't wait to get out of here. "Mister Mudd is to be handed over to legal authorities at our earliest opportunity."

I was one of the first to get up from my chair to leave followed closely by Leonard.

"And what about us? What happens to us?" Evie desperately tried to reach out to Jim. "Help us, please. All of us."

Just as Jim was about to speak the lights in the briefing room started to blink on and off.

"There goes our last crystal Captain…" Scotty said before the intercom in our room whistled.

"Captain Kirk, Engineering Section reports our entire life-support system is now on batteries." Sulu's voice came through.

"Mister Spock, will you contact the miners on Rigel-12?" Jim said to Spock as the two quickly ran out of the briefing room. "Notify them that we'll need the lithium crystals immediately upon arrival."

I left the room along with the rest that was part of the board before I stopped just as the doors closed behind me. I was bothered by the expression on Evie's face, that desperation and the look of someone who needed help. Something didn't seem right and it looked as if she wished to find some sort of escape from Mudd.

"God dammit…" I sighed before turning back around and reentering the room, Mudd's laughter echoing in the empty briefing room was the first thing I heard.

_"I'll be running this Starship. Captain James Kirk, the next orders you're taking will be given by Harcourt Fenton Mudd!"_

"Would you like to reiterate that statement Mister Mudd?" I glared at the man who immediately dropped his feet off the table to stand at attention, surprised at my sudden appearance. "A word of warning Mister Mudd, if you plan to take over this Starship…there is a First Officer and a Second Officer who will take over before you do. The crew of the Enterprise will not be so easily beaten by such a low level man like youself." I turned to the security personnel that was stationed inside the room. "Please escort Mister Mudd to his quarters and confine him there under guard, I want to have a word with Miss McHuron."

Just as the two ladies left, I stopped Ruthie from leaving to give her my own warning before I could even stop myself. "A word of advice Miss Bonaventure, please refrain from approaching Doctor McCoy, you're encroaching into a territory you don't want to be in. Keep going, and you'll find a very furious Mate blocking your advances."

Ruthie stared at me for a second, not giving me any type of reaction before leaving with Magda. I waited for a few minutes after the door closed before turning to Miss McHuron.

"Listen Miss McHuron, what you do and your choices is none of my business so long as it's _your_ choice. If Mudd is forcing you then I am willing to help, you simply have to be honest with me." I stated with my hands held behind my back. "Harcourt Fenton Mudd will be handed to proper authorities, but you and the rest of the ladies are free to do as you please. If you need help or feel you are in danger, I'll speak to the Captain, but you need to distance yourself from that man."

"You…" Evie's voice came out softly as she looked at me with slight hesitation. "you would really talk to the Captain for us? Help us?"

"On one condition," I said as I held my hand up for her to wait and listen to what I have to say first. "tell me what Mudd is planning."

Evie looked to be contemplating her decisions before steeling herself and nodding her head. "The miners on Rigel-12…"

* * *

"And you're sure about that?" Jim asked as he walked alongside Allyson with Spock trailing right behind them.

They were pressed for time, with only a few hours of battery power left, the reality of the ship dying and the crew's life in danger weighing heavily on Jim's mind. While Spock and Jim were talking on the bridge, Allyson had called for an emergency meeting. Allyson had some details pertaining to Mudd and the girls that needed to be addressed before they got caught up in what Mudd was trying to plan under their very nose.

"Miss McHuron divulged in Mudd's intent, apparently she's tired of something he's doing and she's not happy about it." Allyson shook her head as she placed her hand under her chin in thought. "McHuron was not comfortable to go into more details so I didn't push for more information until she was comfortable enough to speak to me about it."

"And with our ship running on battery power we have very limited options, the men on this ship are spacing out because of certain…distractions that are currently aboard my ship." Jim sighed in irritation. "Today for example, I had to ask Chekov and Sulu twice to put us on course for Rigel-12, and I found a few in Engineering along with several of our security personnel just staring off into space and giggling like school girls. What do you think of that Ally?"

"I don't think anything of it, but I suggest we stay two steps ahead of Mister Harry Mudd. He thinks he's so clever that he can outsmart an entire federation crew, I say we help the girls." Allyson shrugged her shoulders. "Who am I to judge what another woman wants in life, deep down I'm sure we all wish to marry at some point in time. I know I made a few decisions that could be questionable back in the younger days. All I know is that if we help them, they can stay away from mine."

"It is a logical plan." Spock said. "We need those lithium crystals, and time is of the essence. We can't afford any setbacks."

"You know Ally, Bones will have to give them a medical examination to determine if there's something wrong with them." Jim said with a smile on his face. "I want to know what's wrong with them that's causing my crew to go off the rail."

"Nurse Chapel can do that…" Allyson huffed before her communicator started to beep indicating an incoming call. "DeLuca."

"Commander DeLuca, a notification on your station alerted us of a crewman attempting to make contact with the miners on Rigel-12." Nyota relayed to Allyson who looked to Jim. Waiting for him to decide what to do next. Allow the call to go through and let the events unfold? Or follow through with the plan Allyson had devised.

"Lieutenant Uhura," Jim swiped Allyson's communicator out of her hands. "Intercept and monitor the call. Make sure to get back in touch with them only after the person on the line ends their call and have DeLuca speak to the miners."

"Understood Captain." Nyota said before ending the call.

"You can do that?" Jim asked as he tossed Allyson her communicator, the TIC catching it with one hand with ease. "Monitor every call that goes out on this ship?"

"A little trick I learned, but I rarely use it since I respect people's personal matters." Allyson smiled with pride. "But in cases where we are dealing with a criminal who thinks they can talk their way out of any sticky situation? I figured he may try and contact the miners and use the girls as a bargaining chip to get him out of answering for his crimes."

"So happy I have you on my ship." Jim smiled as the trio made their way to Leonard's medical lab.

"This is my stop," Allyson said to Jim. "gotta make sure our good doctor gets his sleep. Knowing him, he didn't take my advice to rest."

The door to the medical lab opened and just as Allyson entered the room she stopped in her tracks after seeing the scene that greeted her.

"Ally? Why'd you stop?" Jim asked as he came to stand beside the woman before looking in the direction she was looking. "Ah…I see."

There in the medical bay, surprise surprise, was Ruthie Bonaventure, hanging on Leonard's shoulder with a smile on her face as the two were facing away from them, staring at the panel on one of the medical equipment.

Spock was looking on with curiosity while Jim was glancing nervously back and forth between the back of his CMO and his TIC. If Jim was being honest, he was nervous for his best friend. Jim had seen his fair share of a Mate's jealousy and because of his flirting habits he's been on the receiving end of several. It was not a pretty sight if he were honest.

Jim was watching Allyson, and the best way he could describe how Allyson looked at that very moment was a lion ready to pounce. Her shoulders were tense, her eyes were focused solely on Ruthie, but she looked like she was struggling to keep her 'instinct' in check.

"Commander DeLuca." Allyson's communicator came to life, startling practically everyone in the room and notifying Leonard and Ruthie that they were no longer alone in the room.

"Yes, Lieutenant Uhura?" Allyson answered, her voice cracking as she turned her back to Leonard.

"I have the miners from Rigel-12 on subspace frequency 3." Nyota reported as Allyson placed her hand over the microphone and looked to Jim.

"I'll leave negotiations to you, Ally." Jim smiled. "I'm sure you can talk some sense into them, if your assumption turns out correct."

"I'll be taking my leave then, Captain." Allyson nodded her head before quickly leaving the room. "Patch me through, Lieutenant Uhura."

When Allyson left, Ruthie smiled as she took one final glance back at Leonard before strutting away, greeting Jim and Spock with a smile. Jim's eyes followed the woman, watching her back as she left before the door closing obstructed his view.

"Did you need something Jim?" Leonard asked as he snapped the Captain out of his trance.

"Yes," Jim shook his head as he swiveled on his heels to face his friend. "have you scanned the women?"

"They refused." Leonard said as he stared back at Jim. "Though there was something funny going on with my medical equipment when Miss Bonaventure walked past my panel."

"Is that what that was?" Jim asked. "You two were just looking at your panel?"

"Should it have been anything else?" Leonard asked pointedly. "Need I remind you, I have a Mate now."

"I suggest you have a talk with Miss DeLuca." Spock finally spoke up. "I believe she is struggling internally."

"What do you mean?" Leonard asked with concern at the mere mention of Allyson having any type of problem.

"Jealousy is a terrifying thing." Jim sighed as he went over to pat his friend's shoulder. "Good luck Bones."

* * *

"Mister Ben Childress? This is Commander DeLuca of the USS Enterprise." I introduced myself through my communicator. "I understand that a Mister Harry Mudd had contacted you."

After the scene I had seen in Leonard's medical lab, I retreated back into my room. I feared if I stayed I would've said something I'd regret or I would've done something that would bring disgrace to the uniform I wore.

"Yes, he had contacted us." Mister Childress responded. "We've talked it over and in exchange for the lithium crystals, we ask for a swap. Mudd's women, if we like them, for your crystals."

"Upon arrival at Rigel-12 we'd be happy to beam you aboard so you can meet the women face to face. I simply ask that you bring the crystals with you." I responded as I sat at my desk. "I'm assuming Mudd had thrown his own name into the mix in order for you to meet the women?"

"He's asked for some…help." Childress had said. "Released and charges dropped."

"Mister Childress, as you know Mudd is a wanted criminal. Meeting the women he's with can be arranged, and if you like them they have the choice to go with you back to the surface of Rigel-12 or stay on our ship. But as an obligation, we cannot allow Mudd that type of freedom." I said. "Gentlemen, I'm sure-"

"Commander DeLuca!" There were frantic knocks on the door to my quarters. "Commander!"

"Mister Childress, give me a few minutes. I'll be in contact with you once more." I said before cutting off communications and going to my door.

When I pressed the unlock button on my door, the body of Evie came barreling into my room. Her hair was disheveled, she was breathing heavy and leaning on my desk for support.

"Miss McHuron! Oh my god, what happened to you?" I panicked as I pushed the button to relock my door and went over to assist Evie to my bed. "Let me get you a glass of water."

I went over to my cupboard to grab an empty cup, filling it with water from my kitchen before quickly going over to hand it to Evie. The woman lifted her head and snatched the glass from my hand, downing it in one shot. I looked over the woman and saw how exhausted she looked, her eyes were unfocused, lips chapped, and her whole body was shaking.

"Miss McHuron…Evie." I called to her as I kneeled down, carefully placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to get my medical equipment. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Before I could get up and retrieve my things, Evie tightly grabbed my wrist to prevent me from getting up. She shook her head in defiance and I could only sigh as I reached out to cover her hand with mine.

"I need to examine you to figure out how I can help you, and I can't do that if I don't have the proper equipment to do so." I tried to reason with her and she still shook her head.

"No…" Evie's hoarse voice came out. She was greatly against it and I could only nod my head in agreement. "Okay, no examination…but you need to tell me what's wrong."

"Venus drug…" Evie breathed out with slight difficulty. "it's wearing off. I just…I just need a few moments to rest and a place to hide."

'Venus drug?' I thought with concern. "That's an illegal drug supposedly meant to enhance a person's attractive qualities. Evie, how did you get your hands on that?"

She looked down in shame, and by her reaction alone I already had a suspicion on how she came into contact with it…she didn't have to say.

"Stay in my room, I'll contact the Captain to notify him on where you are." I firmly stated. "Evie, now listen carefully, I'm starting to formulate a plan. I'm hoping you can muster up enough courage to help me as I was willing to help you."

* * *

"Sir, mining chief Childress, Mister Gossett and Mister Glass." A security officer informed Jim as he and Spock were sitting patiently inside the briefing room waiting for the miners on Rigel-12 to be beamed aboard.

"Good. Show them in." Jim said, standing up just as three men entered the room. "I'm James Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise. This is my science officer Mister Spock."

"Pleasure to meet you Captain Kirk." Childress greeted him with his hands in his pocket.

"Gentleman, it is my understanding that a Mister Harry Mudd contacted you to offer a deal." Jim said as he took a seat and motioned for the men to sit across from him. "I also understand that Commander DeLuca had contacted you soon after to off you a counter deal."

"Yes, though Commander DeLuca had not gotten back into contact with me after an incident cut our conversation short" Childress responded.

"She'll give you a counter offer when she gets here." Jim smiled before the door opened once more and in walked Harry Mudd.

"Come along, ladies. Come along." Mudd urged as he walked up to Childress and reached for the man's hand, shaking it. "You must be Ben Childress. Come on now, girls. Come on."

The miners stood up as the two girls stood side by side in front of the miners, one smile from the girls and Jim could already tell they had won the miners over.

"One thing I'll say for you, Mudd-you're not a liar." Childress commented with a smile before looking toward Mudd in confusion. "Though, I had thought there were three."

"Yes, well…Evie is somewhere, but rest assured gentlemen she'll be joining us soon." Mudd stuttered before looking toward the security personnel that had escorted them to this meeting. "Have you found my Evie?"

On cue, the door opened to reveal Allyson with an innocent smile plastered on her face. "Sorry for being late," Allyson said as she stepped out from behind the security officer that was stationed at the door. "I have found Miss McHuron, she'll be joining us shortly." Allyson's eyes made contact with Childress and immediately she went over to the man with her hand held out. "Hello, Mister Childress? Allyson DeLuca."

"Hello Commander." Childress said as he shook her hand.

"Now, I understand you want Mudd's charges dropped and the women in exchange for the crystals we need and I hate to tell you this gentlemen, but Mudd's been trying to pull a fast one on you." Allyson stated and from behind her back she bought out a silver ornate oval box.

"Where'd you get that!" Mudd exclaimed as he attempted to snatch the box out of Allyson's hand, but his attempt was thwarted by Spock who went to stand between them.

"Miss McHuron," Allyson had called to the door. "on your own time and when you're comfortable."

From the door entered Evie McHuron, but not the same woman that first appeared on the ship. Her complexion was pale, lips were cracked, the color of her eyes were dulled, and her hair had lost the shine it once held. She looked exhausted as she stood in front of the men that were gathered and subconsciously she had moved closer to Allyson looking for some form of protection from the eyes that were studying her.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ben Childress asked as he looked to Mudd then back at Allyson for answers.

"The Venus Drug, Mister Childress." Jim responded as Allyson moved in front of Evie the moment Mudd had tried to get close to Evie. "Harry had been giving these girls doses of these to enhance their physical appearance."

"You mean…" Gossett looked toward the two girls who were looking down at the ground in shame. "when the drug wears off, they'll look like her?"

"It's completely harmless." Mudd tried to reason as he turned to glare at Allyson.

"We have enough crystals to buy us Queens, and yet you give us-" Glass tried to say before Evie had gained the courage to finally speak up.

"You say you want companionship, and yet that's not really what you want is it!" Evie reached out for the drugs Allyson was holding and presented it to the men. "These are what you want! Something that's not real, an illusion!" Evie took the drugs before Allyson could say anything and before their eyes Evie had changed. Her appearance brightened, she stood up straighter and with more confidence than when she entered the room. The light in her eyes had returned and a smile graced her face as she strutted up to the men. "Instead of someone who'll be there for you in your time of need, lift you up when you feel like you've hit rock bottom, ease the weight of your worries and woes when you feel you are carrying it alone…you want a wife who's selfish, vain, and useless. Is this what you really want, what you men want? Then fine, here it is."

"It's a fake…" Childress said as he sighed. "pumped up by a drug."

"She did that by herself." Allyson cut in with a smug smile. "She took no drug."

"But, I swallowed it." Evie turned to Allyson in confusion.

"Colored gelatin." Jim answered for Allyson. "Ally here informed me of the incident that took place in her room, I had security search Mudd's room without him knowing and confiscated the drugs. We made a replacement to prove a point."

"It's a placebo effect, your beauty…any woman's beauty for that matter, given enough self-confidence, love, and respect," Allyson smiled at Evie. "they can look like that every day to a man. No matter what they wear or what little makeup they put. They'll always be beautiful if they believe in themselves. You don't need a drug for that."

Childress looked to his fellow miners, a silent agreement passing through them before they addressed the ladies. "You are all very welcomed to stay, if you so wish."

"And the crystals?" Jim asked before Childress revealed a bag they had been carrying.

"Commander DeLuca had asked us to bring it along." Childress informed him as he handed it to Spock.

"I'll take these to Engineer Scott." Spock said as he took his leave.

"Mudd had tried to deceive you, I'm assuming that part of the deal is off the table?" Jim asked, but his question fell on deaf ears as the miners didn't bother to listen. Childress simply shook his head as he went over to Evie to have a conversation with her, the biggest smile on his face as he stared at Evie.

Allyson and Jim shared a knowing look as the two couldn't stop smiling, their plan was a success.

* * *

"You'll keep in contact won't you?" Evie asked as the ladies and the miners were getting ready to beam down to Rigel-12. The drug had worn off and there was no damage done to their bodies, thankfully, yet the women remained their beautiful selves as they were given time to talk with their future life partners, getting to know each other better.

"As much as I can if my work doesn't get in the way." I smiled as Evie threw her arm around me for a hug.

"Thank you…" Evie whispered in my ear before pulling away.

"You keep that confidence yeah?" I smiled. "No more drugs."

"No more drugs." Evie confirmed before Childress called for Evie, they needed to get down to Rigel-12 before the next magnetic storm would hit to avoid it interfering with our equipment. "That Doctor is very lucky to have you by his side."

I was stumped, when had she seen Leonard and myself together? How could she even tell? But I could only smile. "Have a happy life Evie."

Evie went over to stand in the transporter, giving me a wave as the machine turned on. The moment the miners and the ladies beamed down to the planet below I took my leave along with Jim.

"Smart move Allyson." Jim applauded. "Quite a gamble."

"It was worth a gamble." I smiled. "There's only one type of woman and one type of man. No drug can change that. Those women simply needed that push. They didn't need a drug to look beautiful, they already were. They just needed to be confident." I looked up to Jim. "What about Mudd?"

"He attempted to convince me to leave him on Rigel-12 as punishment, but we both know that wasn't going to happen. I ordered him to be confined to his room under close supervision. The next station we dock we will hand him over to proper authorities." Jim shook his head. "Thank god this whole ordeal is over. If you weren't here, I can't imagine what would've happened if those miners didn't give us the crystals without first giving up Mudd."

"I'm sure you would've done just fine without me." I commented to which Jim stopped walking causing me to bump into his back.

"Allyson, you should take a little of that confidence and apply that to yourself." Jim turned around and smiled. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You're doing a good job, kid."

"I'm not a kid, not to you." I pouted at Jim with a glare. "We're the same age, Jim."

"Maybe not to me, but him?" Jim smiled as he looked past me.

Before I could ask him what he meant, a voice had cut my question off. "Captain, may I borrow Commander DeLuca for a second?"

"Bones! By all means, I was just headed back to the bridge and Allyson was gonna turn in for the day." Jim greeted as I spun on the heels of my feet to face our ship doctor. "Good work today, Commander."

Jim left before I could say anything leaving Leonard and myself standing alone in the middle of the hallway.

"My quarter's is close by." Leonard said as he walked up to me, placing his hand on the small of my back as he gently pushed me forward. "Today's been a very long and tiresome day…"

Leonard pushed me into his quarters and when he closed the door behind him he started to push me toward his couch. Leonard flopped down first, his body sprawled across the couch before grabbing my hand and giving it a tug, urging me to lay down with him.

"Leonard, what are we doing here?" I asked before he gave my arm another tug causing me to fall on top of him with my head resting on his chest.

"Assuring you that I'm invested in you, and only you." Leonard mumbled. "While also catching some sleep because we start our next shift in a few hours. Because of that infuriating man, we couldn't get any sort of rest without the threat of our lives hanging on the line."

"We're SoulMates, I know you're only interested in me." I defended as I heard Leonard let out a dry chuckle.

"Yeah, but you were still jealous and I wanted you to know that you didn't have to be." Leonard patted my head, running his fingers through my hair. "Jim pointed that out back in the medbay when Miss Bonaventure had visited. Honestly, I was more uncomfortable at her invading my personal bubble."

"I wasn't jealous…" I pouted as I lifted my head to look up at Leonard, and through half lidded eyes Leonard looked down at me with an exhausted smile on his face.

"Sure you weren't darling." Leonard brushed me off before going back to closing his eyes. "I have an alarm set, I'll wake you up for work."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here me out! So in Into Darkness they mention how they get the K'normian trade ship and Sulu mentions 'the Mudd incident last month'. It still makes me giggle cause I understood that reference. In TOS there's an episode called "Mudd's Women." And I know there was a comic explaining how they got the ship, but I wanted to do the TOS version. I tried to modernize it just a bit, putting my own spin on it while also sticking to that episode. And I figured we needed Allyson to experience jealousy as a Mate lol. As for the Stardates, the numbers after the decimal is the days of the year.


	13. I Love Fluffy Things!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello you lovely readers! Anyway! Here's a fluffy filler chapter. As always, thank you for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. I appreciate all the love and support for my story.

"Jim, you got a minute?" I called as I stepped into the briefing room that he and Spock were currently sitting in.

"Bones, take a seat. What can I do for you today?" Jim greeted with his feet rested on top of the table. "Personal or professional?"

"A bit of both." I said as I took a seat beside Spock and right across from Jim. "It's about Allyson."

"Trouble in paradise already?" Jim asked.

"I did say it was also a professional matter." I huffed. "It's about when we reach the space station. I want you to allow Ally to take the full shore leave."

"Of course." Jim said before I shook my head.

"I mean it Jim, no working at all during this shore leave." I stated firmly. "From a medical standpoint, she's been working nonstop since we've been in space. Why, the only time I remember her taking any sort of official break is at the beginning of this year when we made a quick stop back on Earth." I sighed as I thought about Allyson. "She cares too much about other people's well being, that she doesn't realize she can burn out too."

"If we base it off Earth's calendar, she does work six days a week and spends her free day in her quarters." Spock said. "From her time in the academy she's always put her work above all else. Unless she's told, ordered, to take a few days off…she will continue to work according to her schedule."

"So…" Jim looked back to me in question.

"She'll take the shore leave if you make it mandatory." I said pointedly.

"You are our chief medical officer, Bones." Jim stated. "You can order her to take shore leave."

"Yes, and that worked so well when she was injured during our battle against the Narada." I sighed. "If I tell her that you made it mandatory, I would very much appreciate it if you back up my statement if she were to confirm it with you."

"Sure, sure." Jim nodded. "So that was professional, what about personal?"

"That is my 'personal' reason, I am concerned for the health and wellbeing of my Mate." I stared at Jim, who simply stared back and waited patiently for me to continue. I could only sigh, I suppose I needed someone to talk to about the predicament I was in, if only to just get things off my chest. "She hasn't experienced things that most of us were fortunate enough to have."

"And that would be?" Jim asked as I held eye contact with my friend. "A childhood. The chance to rebel, to grow and socialize with people her age."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked curiously, a deep furrow in his brow as he cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"The DeLuca family is known to breed their children for greatness, conditioned to act as a proper Starfleet cadet from the moment of their birth. They are also expected to become Captain once graduating from the academy." Spock spoke up. "When I first met Allyson back in the academy, I knew I had heard that last name before and I wanted to see if there was any relation between the two. Upon further investigation, she is indeed connected to the DeLuca name, more specifically she is the youngest child of the reputable Admiral Caius DeLuca. Caius DeLuca being the eldest child of retired Fleet Admiral Barnabas DeLuca."

"Their names were part of my history books back in the academy. They produced many great Captains." Jim noted.

"Their regime only got more intense when the Kelvin was attacked. They wanted their future offspring to be able to handle those types of situations. Any type of situation really." Spock said. "I suppose, Allyson got the brunt of their harsh new lesson plans with her being one of the newest generation born after the Kelvin was attacked."

"Man, talk about marrying a Starfleet celebrity." Jim commented.

"Except that Allyson DeLuca is estranged from her family." I said with a sigh. "She hasn't gone into much detail about her childhood, but I can only imagine how awful it was just by what little she has told me. Imagine a child expected to act like a grownup, the pressure they put on her shoulders to be the perfect cadet and Captain." I shook my head. "And don't get me started on their concept of SoulMarks."

From the corner of my eyes I saw Spock turn his eyes to look at me, and from his knowing gaze I knew that he knew that Allyson was a special case. He knew more about Allyson's family, and adding her Marks to the equation…Spock could already deduce what she would've gone through.

"I've heard that the DeLuca's were selective about SoulMates. If they didn't live up to their standards, no blessing would be given." Jim said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Suppose Starfleet couldn't very much argue with how they did things considering they came out with such great results. Family issues are family issues so long as they continued giving them great leaders they didn't care about the process. Who would've guessed that Allyson was that DeLuca."

Jim and myself let out a collective sigh, I suppose Jim saw Allyson as family…since he did meet her first.

"I mean, I knew Allyson was a workaholic, but I didn't think it was that bad. I just assumed that it wasn't her style of fun, not that she didn't know how to have fun." Jim sighed. "Can't have one of my best burn out on me can I? You can count on me to support whatever you tell Ally."

"She knows a little on how to have fun." I shook my head, thinking back to my birthday dinner. "Thanks Jim."

"Welcome Bones." Jim nodded his head. "Though if something comes up and she's needed, I'm going to have to ask for her help."

"Understandable, but only for emergencies." I agreed. "I'll be taking my leave then Jim, I have more reports to do. My work's never quite done while being on this ship."

* * *

"What would you like to do when we arrive at Deep Space Station K-7?" Leonard asked me.

"Why do you ask?" I asked Leonard curiously as I came up behind him.

"Jim said that we'd have a brief leave when we arrive to stock up on much needed supplies along with ship repairs. I thought we could have some alone time without an overbearing Captain who wishes to always ask me about how far along we've taken our relationship." Leonard huffed as I placed a plate of food in front of him while simultaneously shutting down his computer. Leonard stared at his blank screen before letting out a chuckle. "You know, I was working on that."

"Yes you were, and now you're not." I smiled innocently at Leonard, moving the chair that usually sits across from him over to his side of the desk, and taking a seat to eat beside him. "As for what to do on the space station, we could stay on the ship and catch up on our sleep instead? God knows I need it with all the stations that needed my attention the past few months after that virus that spread across the ship."

"That virus that spread through contact and caused the Enterprise to act irrational." Leonard shook his head. "God, was that an ordeal."

"Thanks to your quick thinking, a serum was made to reverse the effect and save the Enterprise." I smiled.

"Our quick thinking, you helped me remember?" Leonard smiled. "Though it wasn't quick enough…left a few of our crew out of commission for a few weeks which gave you more shifts to cover."

"The crew was saved, that's the best outcome we could ask." I nodded my head.

"And anyway, Jim's ordering everyone to take some sort of shore leave." Leonard said after giving up on trying to turn on his computer and resorting to just eat the food that I had brought him. "Jim's gonna make sure that his senior officers take their shore leave seriously, especially you since you work all over the ship."

"Let's go for a drink then," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. "that should suffice right? Maybe we can go shopping? Buy a few things for my quarters?"

"Jim can't argue with that." Leonard smiled before he'd gone silent. "Ally, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" I hummed, in the process of chewing the food that was in my mouth.

"If you're comfortable, I was curious about your family." Leonard said after a few seconds of silence. "I know you told me you had a brother and a sister…the terrible experience you had growing up concerning your Mark, but what about the rest of your family? Extended family?"

I slowly swallowed my food, wondering how I would explain to Leonard anything. Or if I was even comfortable enough to go into detail about a family that I haven't spoken to in years.

"The DeLuca family is…huge. All of them hold some form of title in Starfleet, and some having retired with the highest title they could achieve in Starfleet." I poked at some veggies that were on my plate. "My mother and father's parents are still alive, and I think I still have great grandparents alive on both sides. My father is from a family of six, all boys with him being the eldest and my mother has an older brother. They all have a family of their own. I'm sure I have cousins, first and possibly seconds, but I've never met any of them. If I did it would've been when we were paraded around to our family at birth."

"Sounds overwhelming." Leonard shrugged. "If I ever meet your parents I'd have some choice words for them."

"I'd make sure you never meet them. I'd rather keep you to myself." I nudged Leonard. "If my family weren't so awful, I'd gladly parade you around and show you off to them."

"Are your family's name always so exotic sounding?" Leonard asked me.

"Our first names were carefully chosen and picked to reflect and represent the DeLuca name." I shrugged my shoulders. "Though I don't think they took into consideration that a failure would come from such a prestigious family." Pain erupted in the center of my forehead. "Ouch!" I exclaimed as I turned to glare at Leonard, taken back when I saw he was already up close to my face with our noses just barely touching.

"You're not a failure Ally, and if your family can't see that, then tough for them." Leonard scolded as he reached out to sooth the center of my forehead where he had flicked. "I mean it Ally, you're not a failure, not to everyone on this ship or to me. You do so much for everyone on this ship. Why, without you I think Jim and Spock would be at each other's throat most of the time. You maintain the peace, believe it or not."

"Leonard…" I smiled, but I couldn't say anymore as the lights in the office started to flash red.

"This is a red alert." Nyota's voice came through the speakers that were broadcasting a ship wide announcement. "Man your battle stations. All hands."

"Ally!" Jim's voice pinged from Leonard's comm station. "Priority channel. Code one emergency. Sub-space distress call from Space Station K-7. You're needed on the bridge…now!"

"On my way Captain." I answered as I got up from my chair, hearing Leonard let out a sigh in frustration. I reached down for my empty plate only for Leonard to pat my hand to stop me.

"I'll dispose of that, you're needed at your station." Leonard said as he took my hand and placed a kiss to the back of it. "Go see what's going on up there."

I chuckled and gave a wink before taking my leave. "See you around, cowboy."

* * *

"For Deep Space Station K-7 to issue a Priority One call we can only assume that the Klingons have attacked the station," Jim said as the rest of us stood at attention, prepared for any type of attack as we were coming upon the space station. "we have no choice but to go in armed for battle."

"Main phasers armed and ready, sir." Chekov said, but as we got closer to the space station we realized…there weren't any signs of danger.

For those that don't know, Priority One call signifies more than an emergency, it signals near or total disaster, and requires immediate action from any Starfleet ships that were nearby which so happened to be us since we were already on our way to the station. So it comes to a surprise that there wasn't a danger or disaster in sight.

"There's nothing there, Captain." I said as I did a scan of the area around the space station along with enlarging the field to see if I could detect anything that was hidden from our eyes. "Just the station."

"Priority One distress call, and yet it's absolutely peaceful." Jim mumbled, just as stumped about the situation as the rest of us before he turned to Nyota. "Lieutenant Uhura, break sub-space silence."

"Aye, sir." Nyota said, pressing a button on her station before turning back to Jim. "The channel's open, sir."

"Space Station K-7, this is Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Please state your emergency?" Jim spoke up and we immediately got a response back.

"Captain Kirk, this is Mister Lurry, manager of K-7. I must apologize for the distress call." Lurry said over the channel.

"Mister Lurry, you issued a Priority One distress call. Please state the nature of your emergency." Jim repeated once more, firm and commanding, with an underline of irritation.

"Uh…well, perhaps you better beam over." Lurry said before stuttering over the channel. "I-I'll try to explain."

"You'll try to explain." Jim let out a dry chuckle before responding. "You'd better be prepared to do more than that. Kirk out." Jim gave a signal to Nyota to cut off communication before pointing to Spock and myself. "Spock. Ally. I'll need your help. Mister Chekov, Mister Sulu, maintain battle readiness. Lieutenant Uhura, see that the transporter room is standing by."

Jim was on a warpath as he made a beeline for the lift followed closely by Spock and myself, and when the lift closed Jim let out an irritated sigh. "I put the whole ship on red alert thinking we were going to battle, we made our way post haste to the station only to find nothing."

"Maybe it's an internal problem?" I suggested to Jim as I pressed the button to take us down to the level that held the transporter room. "Possibly a takeover from the inside?"

"Maybe…" Jim said as his eyes stared straight at the door. "if not, then Mister Lurry will have a lot to answer for. Instead of a leave, we may be taking him to Starfleet for misuse of a Priority One channel."

"And here I was so looking forward to another shore leave." I sighed mockingly.

* * *

We beamed down to the station and were immediately greeted by who I assumed was Mister Lurry. Jim was the first to jump down from the transport platform and marched right up to the man.

"Mister Lurry, if there was no emergency, why did you issue a Priority One distress call?" Jim commanded.

"That was my order, Captain." Another man who we had failed to notice when we departed the transporter spoke up, bringing all of our attention to him.

"Captain Kirk, this is Nilz Baris." Lurry introduced the man who was dressed in a full black suit. "He's out from Earth to take charge of the development project for Sherman's planet."

"And that gives you the authority to put an entire quadrant on defense alert?" Jim asked.

"Mister Baris is the federation undersecretary in charge of the agricultural affairs in this quadrant." Another man spoke up.

"That gives him the authority." Spock leaned over to whisper to Jim.

"This is my assistant Arne Darvin." Baris introduced the new man to us.

"And this is my First Officer Mister Spock along with my Second Officer Miss Allyson DeLuca." Jim introduced us.

"And now, Captain, I want all available security guards. I want them posted around the storage compartments." Baris ordered Jim, who was not at all pleased about being given that order without reason.

"Storage compartments?" Jim asked. "What storage compartments?"

"The storage compartments containing the quadrotriticale." Darvin, Baris's assistant responded.

"The what?" Jim asked with furrowed brows. "What's…quadrotriticale?"

I watched as Lurry turned around to grab this golden cylinder container that was on his desk before handing it over to Jim. Jim took the container and turned it over onto his hand as blue grain trickled out. "Wheat. So what?"

"Quadrotriticale is not wheat, Captain." Baris said before letting out a smug smile. "Of course, I wouldn't expect you, Mister Spock, or Miss DeLuca to know about such things, but uh…quadrotriticale is a rather-"

"Quadrotriticale is a high-yield grain, four-lobed hybrid of wheat and rye. A perennial, also, if I'm not mistaken." Spock cut Baris off, clearly having been insulted at Baris for questioning his Vulcan knowledge…and I couldn't help but internally laugh at such a human reaction. "It's root grain, triticale, can trace its ancestry all the way back to the 20th century Canada-"

"Spock, you've made your point." Jim smiled as he patted his friend's shoulder.

"Adding in, it was due to Miss DeLuca assisting in such a discovery, that we now know it is the only Earth grain capable of growing on Sherman's planet." Spock said as he motioned with his head in my direction and I could only let out a sheepish smile. "I only helped a little…it was an academy project I was asked to give my input on."

"We have several tons of it here on this station. And it's very important that that grain gets to Sherman's planet safely. Mister Baris thinks that Klingon agents may try to sabotage it." Lurry cut in before Baris could say anything more.

"You issued a Priority One distress call for a couple tons of wheat?" Jim asked incredulously.

"Quadrotriticale!" Darvin raised his voice as he stepped up to Jim before I intercepted and stepped in front of the man, preventing him from getting any closer as I simply gave a smile, motioning for him to take a step back.

"Of course, Captain, I realize that we-"

"Mister Baris, you summoned the Enterprise without an emergency." Jim said before turning his back on the man "You'll take full responsibility for it."

"What do you mean?" Baris asked.

"Misuse of the Priority One channel is a federation offense." Spock answered.

"I did not misuse the Priority One channel! I want that grain protected!" Baris argued.

"Captain, couldn't you at least post a couple of guards?" Lurry asked as he tried to deescalate the situation. "We do have a large number of ships that pass through this station."

"It would seem a logical precaution, Captain." Spock said. "The Sherman's planet affair is of extreme importance to the federation."

"Not to mention, it'll get Baris off your back." I shrugged my shoulder as I continued to watch Darvin, who started to nervously shuffle under my gaze.

Jim sighed before taking out his communicator and hailing the Enterprise. "Kirk to Enterprise."

"Enterprise here." Nyota answered.

"Secure from general quarters. And beam down two, and only two, security guards. Have them report to Mister Lurry." Jim said. "Authorize shore leave for all off-duty personnel."

"Yes, Captain." Nyota responded.

"Captain Kirk, how dare you authorize a mere two men for a project of this importance?" Baris started to raise his voice, appalled at how nonchalant Jim was being about his project. "Starfleet command will hear about this."

"Rest assured Mister Baris, our security is the best. Two will suffice, especially since there isn't a Klingon in sight." I smiled at Baris, turning to leave with Jim and Spock. "Though, maybe next time a simple 'please' would suffice instead of misusing the Priority One channel and insulting an officers intelligence."

* * *

"Hello Scotty," I greeted with a smile to the man that was sitting in front of a computer screen in the recreation center of our ship. I leaned over to see what he was looking at and couldn't help but laugh. "enjoying that technical journal?"

"Aye, I'm happy that I finally have time to relax and read without worrying about the ship breaking down." Scotty nodded his head. "Did you just come back from the space station?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't enjoying myself so Leonard and I came straight back to the ship." I said. "I don't like that Baris man very much, kept pestering me the moment he saw me to talk to Jim about assigning more security guards to the storage compartments."

"Gotta admire his tenacity, that man doesn't give up." Scotty bid me good day before going back to his computer screen.

"Pain in my ass more like it, couldn't even enjoy my alone time…" Leonard mumbled as he came up behind me. "let's get some food and head back to my office. No one will disturb us there."

I was just about to go to the replicator before I saw Nyota being crowded around by a few of our crewmen. Curiosity got the best of me as I joined the group and saw something fluffy scattered all over the table.

"Nyota…" I whispered as I peered over her shoulder. "what is that…?"

"A nice man gave it to me back in the station," Nyota smiled as she petted the largest puffball that was in front of her. "he called it a tribble."

"Never heard of such a creature…" I mumbled before Nyota placed a tiny version of the one she was cuddling with into my open hand.

"Listen! It's purring!" Nyota smiled, waiting for me to hold it up to my ears, which I did.

The tribble as Nyota called the puffball cooed as I stroked its body…and I could only stare at it in wonder. 'It's so soft…'

"Cute little things aren't they?" Leonard commented, snapping me out of my trance as I turned to see him smiling down at me.

"They're so soft…" I smiled as I held it close to my chest.

"How long have you had that thing, Nyota?" Leonard asked.

"Since yesterday, doctor. This morning, I found out that he-" Nyota let out a giggle. "I mean she had babies."

"Well, I'd say in that case, you got a bargain." Leonard chuckled as he started to stroke the tribble that I was holding.

"You running a nursery, Nyota?" Jim asked, startling me just a bit. Since when did he join our little party?

"Well, I hadn't intended to, sir, but the tribble had other plans." Nyota said with a shrug.

"Did you get this at the space station?" Jim asked as he picked up one of the crawling tribbles.

"Yes, sir." Nyota said as she went back to taking care of her own.

"Most curious creature, Captain." Spock said as I watched him hold a white colored one to his ears. "It's trilling seems to have a tranquilizing effect on the human nervous system. Fortunately, of course, I am…immune to its…effect."

I laughed, knowing full well that that was a lie based on how soft Spock's voice got the longer he continued to pet the white tribble. Caught off guard, Spock placed it back on to the table before walking away with Jim.

"Lieutenant Uhura, do you mind if I take one of these down to the lab and see what makes it tick?" Leonard asked which I held the one I was holding firmly in my hand away from my doctor.

"I won't let you touch this one." I pouted as I held it protectively out of Leonard's reach.

"I wasn't talking about yours Ally." Leonard nudged me aside before looking back to Nyota, waiting patiently for her response.

"Well, all right, doctor, but if you're going to dissect it, I don't want to know about it." Nyota answered.

"I won't harm a hair on its head-" Leonard said as I reached down and plucked the white one Spock was holding and placed it into Leonard's hand. I couldn't help but melt when I heard it make a cute little squeak the moment I plucked it off the table. "wherever that is."

"Nyota, I'm going to take this one with me if it's alright with you." I smiled at my friend. "It can keep Leonard's tribble company."

"Sure." Nyota smiled with a nod of her head. "Have fun."

* * *

"Fascinating…" Leonard mumbled as I continued to play around with my tribble in his chair, watching as it scurried from side to side, eating away at the little food I had left on my plate. "its internal structure is marvelous. Almost half of its body is made to reproduce. I wonder what purpose that serves…other than the obvious…"

"You're starting to sound like Spock." I giggled as I caught my tribble just as it was about to fall off of Leonard's desk.

"If you're gonna get nasty, I'm gonna leave." Leonard commented.

"I'll bite, what's so 'fascinating' that you found?" I asked curiously, taking my tribble into my hands just as Leonard placed a glass case of several tribbles in front of me. I sat forward in his chair as I glanced inside the case, cocking my head to the side in thought. "I could've sworn I only gave you one…"

"Yes, and that's the most fascinating thing about it." Leonard said with a smile. "You see-"

The door to Leonard's office opened and in walked Jim, worry lines on his forehead and a frown gracing his face. "Hello Jim."

"Ally…" Jim nodded his head in greeting as he smiled. "I see you're enjoying your tribble."

"I learned something new about myself today." I giggled as I continued to rub my face against the soft tufts of fur. "I love fluffy things."

"Haven't you petted a dog before? Cat?" Jim asked as he reached out to gently stroke the tribble in my hands, unbeknownst to me the exchange that went on between Jim and Leonard.

"We weren't allowed to have pets." I shook my head. "Parents said it would cause a distraction in our studies."

"You've missed out on a lot of things." Jim commented before looking at Leonard. "Bones, what do you got for a headache?"

Leonard snapped his fingers and pointed at Jim. "Let me guess. Baris?"

"Won't give me a moment's rest." Jim said before leaning on Leonard's desk, glancing around at the tribbles in the case. "How many of these did Nyota give you?"

"Just one." Leonard said as he took a pill bottle off his shelf.

"But you've got, uh…11." Jim observed as he counted the tribbles.

"You noticed that, huh? Here." Leonard said, taking a couple of pills out of the bottle and handing them over to Jim. "This ought to take care of it."

"How do they…um…" Jim huffed, at a loss for words as he continued to motion to the case. "How do they…"

"I uh…I haven't figured that out yet," Leonard held his hand out to stop Jim from continuing. "but I can tell you this much-almost 50% of the creature's metabolism is geared for reproduction." Leonard leaned forward, his arm brushing against my own in the process. "Do you know what you get if you feed a tribble too much?"

Jim took a while to answer before finally giving Leonard one with a straight face. "A fat tribble."

"No." Leonard sighed at his friend's answer. "You get a whole bunch of hungry little tribbles."

"Well, Bones, all I can suggest…" Jim said, taking the pills as he turned to exit. "is you open up a maternity ward."

As the doors closed, I turned in Leonard's chair and looked up at my doctor. "Since my tribble ate some of my food does that mean it's gonna produce a bunch of little tribbles?"

"It'll multiply the moment you blink." Leonard chuckled, reaching out to caress the side of my face. "Have fun with all those little puffballs."

* * *

"Spock will be coming to the medlab. Said something about documenting these creatures for ship and Starfleet records." I said as I reentered my office, only to find Allyson was not around and only a pile of tribbles covered my whole chair. "Ally? Allyson!"

"I'm here Leonard!" Allyson's voice, though muffled, called to me and from the pile of tribbles that was in my chair I saw Allyson's head pop up. She had a smile on her face as she rested her head on one of the tribbles, a content expression on her face. "My tribble multiplied at an alarming rate that I ended up covered in them."

"Here, let me help you out." I offered as I came to take some of the tribbles off of her just so she wasn't being swallowed up by them. I couldn't help but laugh as I saw her bury herself further down the more I tried to help her. "I haven't seen you this relaxed before."

"I never had the experience of owning a pet, I'm having fun on this brief shore leave." Allyson said as she sat more comfortably in my chair, a tribble…possibly the original one she started off with sat comfortably on her head. "Leonard, I really love tribbles. They're just so…comforting and soft." Allyson hugged the tribbles that were piled in her lap before pointing toward my glass container. "Your eleven tribbles doubled as well."

"Doctor McCoy." Spock greeted as he came into my lab. "Commander…DeLuca?"

"Hello Spock." Allyson greeted. "Here to do some studying on the tribbles?"

"For the records." Spock said as he brought out the PADD that he held behind his back. "If this becomes a problem, then other ships should know how to handle them should they come across such a creature. Will you be helping us?"

"Allyson is currently on her shore leave." I said looking at Spock, hoping he'd get the message that unless she's really needed Allyson is to stay on her 'shore leave'.

"Really?" Spock asked, his brow quirked as he turned to Allyson who was too busy with the tribbles to be bothered with responding to Spock.

"Yes, she's enjoying her tribbles so it'll just be you and me." I said as I motioned for Spock to follow me into the next room. Grabbing the glass container and gathering any stray tribble that may have fallen out. "Shall we?"

We started out scanning the tribbles, finding things that I had already found out before Spock arrived, but it was so interesting to see that they were getting bigger by the second. Spock had put a few on a dish filled with food and watched how quickly they started to devour the food that was presented to them. Spock let out a thoughtful hum and I couldn't help but be concerned.

"What's the matter, Spock?" I asked the Vulcan.

"There's something disquieting about these creatures." Spock said as he continued to tap the buttons on the machine that was taking their weight.

"Don't tell me you've got a feeling." I smiled as Spock turned to grab another tribble.

"Don't be insulting, Doctor." Spock huffed. "They remind me of the lilies of the field. 'They toil not, neither do they spin.' But they seem to eat a great deal." Spock observed as he placed the dish on the table and picked up his PADD. "I see no practical use for them."

"Does everything have to have a practical use for you?" I rolled my eyes at Spock's assessment. "They're nice, they're soft, they're furry, and they make a pleasant sound."

"So would an ermine violin, Doctor, but I see no advantage in having one." Spock shot back.

"You had a pet Sehlat when you were growing up didn't you Spock?" Allyson butted into our conversation, coming into the room still with a tribble perched on top of her head. "Human's could say the same thing about a Sehlat."

"Sehlat?" I asked, looking to Allyson for answers. "What's a Sehlat?"

"Allyson…" Spock tried to persuade her to cease continuing, but I simply patted Spock on the shoulder and urged Allyson to continue with a smile.

"It was like a fat teddy bear." Allyson giggled as I could only brighten up, imagining Spock cuddling a fat teddy bear.

"A teddy bear." I smiled, boy was I gonna have a field day retelling this story to Jim.

"Sehlat, though similar in characteristics to a teddy bear, was alive and had six inch fangs." Spock stared back at the two of us unamused.

"Don't get offended Spock, it is a human characteristic to love little animals, especially if they're attractive in some way." I argued.

"A Sehlat wasn't little nor attractive. Now, Doctor, I am well aware of human characteristics. I am frequently inundated by them, but I have trained myself to put up with practically anything." Spock defended.

"Spock, I don't know too much about these little tribbles yet, but there is one thing that I have discovered." I said before glancing at Allyson. "Two things actually."

"And what is that, Doctor?" Spock asked curiously.

"I like them…and so does Allyson. Though in Ally's case, more so." I stated. "Better than I like you."

"Doctor?" Spock said as he continued to document his findings.

"Yeah?" I smirked, thinking I finally bested the Vulcan.

"They do indeed have one redeeming characteristic." Spock said.

"What's that?" I asked, eagerly waiting for Spock to respond.

"They do not talk too much." Spock retorted as the two of us continued to stare at each other.

"Now, now you two. You two are the best friends, and don't mean what you just said." Allyson cut in, going over to stand between Spock and myself, handing the two of us a tribble each. "Have a tribble and let its cooing ease the tension in your shoulders."

"Thank you Allyson, but it's not necessary. You two enjoy yourselves." Spock yielded as he gently placed the tribble back into Allyson's hands. "I've got some things to document into the ship's computer. I'll be taking my leave."

We watched Spock leave and I shook my head as I leaned down to place a kiss to the side of Allyson's head. "You're too precious."

"Am I?" Allyson asked, her brown eyes turning to look up at me. "I was just stating the obvious, though you two exchanged some choice words, in the end you both don't mean it. You respect each other too much."

"I'm not agreeing or disagreeing." I said, smiling down at Allyson. "Though, I will say with how fast they're reproducing they'll outnumber us. We're going to be hip deep in them if we don't get them off the ship."

"What do you mean?" Allyson asked me, wide bright eyes staring up at me.

'After she got her hands on that tribble…she reminds me of a happy puppy.' I felt my cheeks heat up before I covered my hand over my mouth and let out a nervous cough.

"From my observation…" I motioned for Allyson to hand me one of her tribbles, which she happily obliged. "tribbles are born pregnant. They're bisexual, reproducing at will. Though…what causes them to continue reproducing I can't comprehend just yet. Is it simply will that's making them reproduce? Or some other…factors."

"Doctor McCoy, Bones!" Jim came through on my computer. "Would you mind coming up to the bridge? Please!"

* * *

Spock, Jim and Leonard had gone down to the station, Jim had left me in charge for the time being saying something about needing to confirm something that seemed to have happened on the space station. Jim even made a small comment about me just sitting in the chair and waiting for him to contact the ship.

"Kirk to Enterprise." Jim's voice came through the communicator on the captain's chair.

"Enterprise here." I answered from the Captain's chair.

"The tribbles overtook the space station, they got into the wheat and now the quadrotriticale is all gone." Jim sighed. "And whatever was in the wheat caused all the tribbles to die."

"Poor creatures…I'm assuming Baris isn't too happy about all his wheat being eaten." I commented as I sat leisurely on the chair, still with my tribble on my head. Figured it wasn't causing any trouble so why move it.

"No, he wasn't. Said that Starfleet would be hearing a full report about this and he can't wait to see it. Bones is trying to analyze the tribbles and the wheat as we speak to see what the cause of death was." Jim reported. "Has maintenance cleared off the bridge?"

"Cleared off the bridge and the ship. We just have to figure out where to put them." I responded.

"Make sure they stay away from the food, Bones said if we take away their food sources they stop breeding." Jim said.

"We're trying to get that settled now, Scotty is assisting in clearing the air vents and more importantly the food replicators." I reported.

"Good...good." Jim said and I could tell from the tone of his voice he was nodding his head as he spoke. "I'm gonna need you to beam down to the space station, we're bringing in Cyrano Jones, and I need you there to keep Baris and his little friend off my back."

"You have Spock and Leonard down there with you." I countered.

"Yes, but they seem to back off more when you're around." Jim responded. "So, I need you down here in case I say something that could trigger Mister Baris. And~" Jim hummed. "Bones misses you so...more so you should come for him. Also, I need you to do something for me concerning Cyrano Jones..."

"If you say so Captain, I'm on my way." I cut communication and turned to Sulu. "Sulu, you have the conn until we return."

* * *

"Commander, thank you for joining us." Jim greeted as his eyes instantly went to the tribble that was on my head. "Still with that tribble on your head I see."

"It's cooing helps me forget my problems." I chuckled as I saw Lurry and Baris standing opposite of Jim and Spock, waiting patiently to hear why we were gathered here today. "So, what have I missed?"

"Nothing yet." Jim said just as the doors to Lurry's office opened. In walked a man dressed in large cargo like clothing being escorted by two of our ships security guards.

"Really, Captain Kirk, I must protest this treatment." The man argued as the guards pushed him forward to sit in Lurry's chair.

"Mister Jones, thank you for joining us." Jim said as he patted the man's shoulders rather roughly. "A few questions for you. I'd like to know just what happened with the storage compartments. Who put the tribbles in the quadrotriticale? And what was in the grain that killed them?"

The door behind me opened once more and in walked Arne Darvin. I walked up to Darvin and motioned for him to go stand beside Baris. "Hello Mister Darvin, we were just getting started, if you can go stand next to Mister Baris."

The moment I got close to Darvin, the tribble on my head started to act up, shrieking and flailing on my head. "No…no…it's okay." I cooed as I took the tribble off my head and held it in my arms, petting it in hopes to sooth it. Though my attempts were futile as it continued to jump at Darvin.

"Cyrano Jones, I thought you said tribbles liked everybody." I heard Jim ask Cyrano.

"Well, they do. I can't understand it." Cyrano said in confusion as he stood from his chair. I moved away from Darvin, going over to stand beside Jim and the tribble in my arms immediately calmed itself. "The last time I saw one act that way was…well it was during my brief interaction with a Klingon on one of my past excursions."

"Interesting." Jim said before he held his hand out for my tribble. "Commander, may I?"

"Be gentle…" I said as I carefully handed Jim my tribble. Jim moved on over to Spock just as Leonard entered the office, coming to stand beside me as we watched what Jim was planning to do.

"They do like Vulcans…" Jim said as he held the tribble up to Spock, the creature instantly letting out a barrage of purrs. "Spock, didn't know you had it in you."

"Obviously tribbles are very perceptive creatures, Captain." Spock said.

"Obviously." Jim nodded his head with a smile as he passed us and walked toward Baris, holding the tribble out to the man. "Mister Baris, they like you. Well, there's no accounting for taste." But the second Jim took even a step close to Darvin, the tribble started to shriek causing Darvin to jump back in disgust. "They don't like you, Mister Darvin. I wonder why. Bones?" Jim motioned with his head for Leonard to step forward to examine the man.

Leonard moved away from my side and took out his tricorder, holding it out toward Darvin's body. "Heartbeat is all wrong. His body temperature is-" Leonard stopped his tricorder and looked back at Jim in alarm. "Jim, this man's a Klingon."

"A Klingon?" Baris exclaimed as he turned his gaze to Darvin.

"I wonder what Starfleet command will say about that." Jim commented, stepping away from Darvin and up to Baris. "What about the grain, Bones?"

"Poisoned. The tribbles have been impregnated with a virus. The virus turns into an inert material in the bloodstream. The more the organism eats, the more inert matter is built up. So after two or three days, it would reach a point where they couldn't take in enough nourishment to survive." Leonard reported his finding.

"They starved to death. In a storage compartment full of grain, they starved to death." Jim reasoned out.

"That is essentially it." Leonard nodded his head as Jim walked back over to Darvin, and thrusted the tribble closer to the man.

"Mister Darvin, you going to talk?" Jim asked, giving the man one last chance to confess.

"I have nothing to say." Darvin said causing Jim to move the tribble closer to the man who tried his best to jump away. "All right! I poisoned the grain! Just…take it away."

"And the tribbles had nothing to do with it?" Jim asked.

"I don't know. I never saw one before in my life, and I hope I never see one of those fuzzy miserable things again." Darvin confessed as he continued to glare at the little fuzzball in Jim's hands.

"I'm certain that can be arranged, Darvin. Guards." Baris said as he came up behind Jim and motioned for them to take Darvin away before glancing back to Jim. "If you'll excuse me, Captain."

"They're not miserable things…" I pouted as Jim came up and placed the tribble back on my head.

"No, they're not." Jim agreed, giving the tribble a couple pets. "Now…what to do about the tribbles on our ship along with this station."

"I wasn't much help here, Captain, but I think I have a suggestion." I said as I motioned to Cyrano Jones. "If you'll excuse us, I think I know what we can do with the remaining tribbles on our ship and on this station."

"You bought the tribble. Without it we wouldn't have found the spy." Jim smiled. "You need help?"

"I think I can be intimidating enough." I said as I motioned for Cyrano Jones to follow me. "If you will Mister Jones."

"I think-" Leonard said, holding out his hand to stop me from leaving and taking the tribble that was on my head away. "I think you should leave the tribble here if you're going for the intimidating factor."

* * *

"Well, Commander, I suppose I'm free to go now?" Cyrano asked me as he followed me to the bar area, but just as he was about to leave I reached out and gripped his arm, urging him to continue to walk with me.

"I'm afraid not Mister Jones." I smiled as I pulled him along. "There's something I want to show you."

We walked into the bar area and up to the bartender who was just sitting in a pile of tribbles. I had to resist going over to enjoy the fluffiness. I had one last job to do before I could return to the Enterprise.

"Hello Mister Raymond." I greeted the sad looking man who nodded his head, or tried to with all the tribbles that were crawling all around and over him. "Captain Kirk had informed me of the situation, now Mister Jones do you know what the penalty is for transporting an animal proven harmful to human life?"

"Commander DeLuca, one little tribble isn't harmful." Cyrano argued with a jolly laugh, tapering off as he glanced around the bar area that was overrun by tribbles. "Commander…you wouldn't do a thing like that to me, now, would you?"

"The penalty for transporting animals proven harmful to human life is 20 years in a rehabilitation colony, Mister Jones. Now tribbles, at first, may not seem harmful I can agree to that. But if they start to eat all the supplies, especially the supplies on a starship, that we human's need to survive…well. That's proof enough wouldn't you say?" I pointed out.

"Surely we can come to some sort of mutual understanding eh? After all, my tribbles did put you wise to the poisoned grain, and they did help you find the Klingon spy." Cyrano smiled at me. "We've saved a lot of lives that way."

"I took all that into account, which is why I'm here and not the Captain. You would have been taken aboard the Enterprise to answer for your crimes." I motioned toward Raymond. "Now my offer, pick up every tribble on the space station. This will also include the tribbles that have infested our ship I'm afraid. If you agree, then Captain Kirk will speak to Mister Lurry about returning your spaceship."

"That…that would take years." Cyrano said as he looked around the room.

"It's either 20 years here working as job security or 20 years in a rehabilitation colony." I pointed out his options. "You're free to choose one or the other, but I'm afraid there is no third option."

"All right…" Cyrano gave in. "I'll do it."

"Mister Lurry can provide a place for you to put them in, with no air vents for them to escape to." I smiled, happy to not use force. "As long as you get them under control, then you'll be free to fly once you've done the time."

* * *

"She was very insistent on keeping it Jim," Leonard scoffed as he came to my defense. "I did make sure it would be well contained, and wouldn't escape. It will have a perfect home inside her quarters."

"You promise not to feed it." Jim said as he continued to stare at the top of my head.

"I promise Captain." I smiled from my station.

"Promise that you keep it secure in the cage Bones had designed specifically for it." Jim listed off.

"I promise to keep it secure to my quarters." I promised as I continued to work.

"Good." Jim said before letting out a deep sigh as he motioned toward my head. "I know you're enjoying your pet tribble, but must you bring it to the bridge when you work?"

"Leonard said it would be well contained, but the cage is not finished yet. So logically, keeping it in my sights is for the best." I pointed out. "If I just leave it in my room it could enter the vents and eat all our food, reproduce, and then we'll be in 'tribble' again, Captain."

Jim left it at that, didn't bother making a comment or acknowledge my genius pun as I reached up to pet the cooing tribble before a message suddenly popped up on my screen.

"Message from Starfleet, Captain." I said to Jim as I opened the transmitted message, briefly reading over the letter before relaying the information to Jim. "Survey mission of the Class-M planet, Nibiru. The native species: Nibiran." I typed in a few numbers from my station before looking toward Sulu. "Sending coordinates to your station Mister Sulu."

"Ladies and gentlemen, shore leave is officially over." Jim smiled as he went over to the captain's chair, stopping and looking back into his seat before easing himself down to sit. "Take us out, Mister Sulu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean...the dead tribble had to have come from somewhere right? So why not add one in by using one of my favorite episodes. Anyone spot any more TOS references? Lol it was so much fun adding little things here and there. Allyson deserved to be a kid and pets bring out the child in everyone lol.
> 
> Now then, off we go! Into Darkness!


	14. Prime Directive Be Damned!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the added information at the very end!
> 
> For some scientific stuff I honestly I just looked them up on the Memory Alpha Wiki Page, and a few things that I needed a better understanding on. I had a basic idea of most things, I just wanted to better understand and confirm that I was writing something semi correct instead of being completely wrong.

_Day 1 of our Survey Mission of the Class-M Planet Nibiru.  
_ _Starfleet has little to no information on the Nibiran, hence why the federation had sent us on a survey mission of the planet along with its inhabitants. As the name suggests, Starfleet had designated this a Class-M planet, meaning that it is considered suitable for humanoid life. We have been sent to make sure that it can still be considered a Class-M planet. While maintaining orbit and doing a planet wide scan we've concluded that the readings coincide with the past survey mission, nothing had changed from an outside perspective. However, we don't know just yet what lies on the planet's surface._

_Tomorrow, with permission from Starfleet, a small away team will be beamed down to the planet to document the fauna and flora along with observing the natives, the Nibiran, as Starfleet had designated them to see how far along they are in their development. Starfleet has reminded us to keep hidden, which is why whoever will be going down to the planet will be covered from head to toe in fabric just so the natives don't see us._

_Day 2 of our Survey Mission of the Class-M Planet Nibiru.  
_ _Our away team had just returned. The fauna is alien, that much is certain…and the flora is quite similar to that of Earth's tropical regions, but instead of green everything was reported red. It was noted that there was smoke coming from what we assumed to be an active volcano. We're doing scans now to see how dangerous it was, and if it posed a threat to the planet and its inhabitants. If it was indeed dangerous we must stop sending down away parties._

_As for the Nibiran's, it was documented that they were tall bipeds with white chalky skin. Their eyes were completely blacked out with no apparent pupils. According to the away team though it was hard to see from where they kept themselves hidden, it looked like the Nibiran's had four nostrils along with pointed teeth, but no ears from what they could tell. It was noted that on their skin there were black lines that resembled what they could only assume were tribal markings._

_Day 3 of our Survey Mission of the Class-M Planet Nibiru.  
_ _Upon further study and observation, Nibiran were not technologically advanced. We could compare their advancement similar to how Earth was thousands of years ago. They had basic knowledge such as writing and communication as observed when they were seen carving something into the ground along with the chitter the team had heard coming from the mouths of the Nibiran's._

_We had documented them as a primitive pre-industrial species. Therefore, it is imperative that we never reveal our faces or our ship, they are just starting on in life and not even close to inventing things just yet, we estimate it would take several hundred years before they even attempt such a notion. They wouldn't know or comprehend that there are other species out there besides themselves._

_Day 4 of our Survey Mission of the Class-M Planet Nibiru.  
_ _In concern with the volcano, from continuous scanning on our ship we concluded it does indeed pose a threat to the indigenous species on Nibiru. We estimate in five days the volcano will erupt, rendering all life on the planet extinct, buried under molten lava. It will be hard and dangerous in the coming days to beam down any away team due to the magnetic interference from the smoke of the volcano. Any interaction will cease from this day forward, we will let nature take its course and follow through with starfleet mandate: observe with no interference._

**_So, it came to a surprise when two days before volcano day, Jim insisted that we should save them._ **

"You want us to do what?" I asked Jim who had called for a meeting for the three of us to discuss what the next plan of action would be.

"That volcano is gonna kill every single living thing on Nibiru." Jim emphasized. "They are living, breathing…intelligent lifeforms. There are children on that planet, female and males and we're just expected to what? Let them die?"

"I understand that Jim, but that volcano…a natural disaster is meant to go off thus killing every single living creature on that planet. It's supposed to happen."

"But what if we could change that?" Jim argued back. "If we can stop that volcano from going off, we can save hundreds possibly thousands of Nibiran's. Don't they deserve that chance?"

"We're not Gods Jim, and we have no right to be playing Gods. We can't choose who lives and who dies. If it was supposed to happen, then we have to just let it happen." I sighed. "And even if we could, what do we possibly have-"

"Spock," Jim turned to the Vulcan who had not said a word since the moment we entered the briefing room, and Jim brought up the subject of saving the planet. "knowing what you know now, if there was a way, a small possibility to change what happened to Vulcan to save everyone? Would you take that chance even if the possibility was extremely low?"

"Vulcans are a highly intelligent race who have reached for the stars to interact with other lifeforms. Who grew and developed to be able to comprehend that they weren't the only beings in the universe." I reasoned. "I understand that the Nibiran's don't deserve to go extinct, this is a whole new race and I would want them to live, watch them evolve, develop like mankind have, but the prime directive clearly states-"

"There is a way," Spock spoke up as he placed his hand under his chin in thought. "though slim…there's always a way."

"Great." Jim said as he motioned for Spock to continue. "I'll take it even if it's a small chance of success, what you got for me?"

"I could create a cold fusion device that would release thermonuclear energy at room temperature, in this case I could adjust it to activate in the heart of the volcano. It's detonation will absorb the heat, if successful it'll cause the lava to congeal and render the volcano inert." Spock said as he looked back to Jim. "All life forms on this planet will be saved."

"That's perfect!" Jim smiled.

"But there is a problem, the cold fusion device would need to be physically placed and set for it to work." Spock said. "Considering it would be my creation and only I would know how to use it, it is only logical that it be me that places the fusion device."

"Now hold on just a minute gentleman," I interrupted their little brainstorming session. "we cannot risk your life like that Spock. Jim, the only way we'd be able to get Spock to the volcano would be if we take the Enterprise into the planet's atmosphere. Need I remind you both that we cannot be seen by the natives not to mention adding in the interference the volcano is having on our consoles."

"Ally, this could work." Jim leaned forward in his chair. "If we can pull this off, we'd have saved the whole civilization. They could grow and develop like nature intended them to."

"Nature is choosing to wipe them out, and at the end of the devastation another species will come out of the ashes and be able to develop further than the Nibiran's could." I let out a huff in irritation. "The prime directive is one of Starfleets most important ethical principles, it is something that is ingrained into all Starfleet officers. We are not to interfere, under any circumstances, with other cultures and civilization. We, as Starfleet officers, must refrain from interfering in the natural, unassisted, development of societies even if our intentions were good. We have to let the planet's natural history unfold." I recited a directive that I had to always keep in mind ever since I was little because of my father. "All of us here had swore to uphold that even at the cost of our own life and the lives of the crew."

"Yes, I understand that Ally, but…" Jim sighed. "hear me out. If we can come up with a carefully thought out plan that can keep us from revealing ourselves to the Nibiran's and we save them all. Isn't that a risk worth taking? Starfleet wouldn't have to know what we have done, but we'd know that we saved a whole species from dying." Jim's blue eyes stared at me, pleading and begging with me to see his side. "We need all the help to pull this off, and it would make me feel better if one of my bests were on my side. What do you say Ally? Let's work together and save this planet."

I sighed and thought over the options, I was conflicted. The part of me that was all about upholding the rules of Starfleet and the part of me that felt guilt knowing that we would be condemning a whole planet to death if we didn't help them. A whole civilization and its inhabitants wiped out in seconds.

"Due to the atmospheric disturbance, the unstable and shifting magnetic field from the volcanic eruptions coming from the planet, it has been difficult and deemed dangerous to use the transporter to beam anyone down. Along with that? We can't use our communicators because of the first problem unless we were under the magnetic field. And with a mission like this we'd need to stay in constant communication to make sure everyone involved stays safe and hidden." I said, listing what could already pose a problem with Jim's plan. "So, we can't beam Spock down because of the disturbance, we'd need to physically take him down to the volcano. We can't take the Enterprise, it's too big. It would be spotted the moment we breach the planet's atmosphere."

"Then what about a shuttlecraft?" Jim asked as he looked to Spock. "Small enough to go unseen, we could use the smoke to cover our presence?"

"That…could work." Spock nodded his head. "Though with the Nibiran's located close to the base of the volcano, we'd need to get them away from the area to be able to fly in."

"A distraction." Jim said. "So, we need a party for distraction and a party to fly the shuttlecraft. Ally, pull up a holographic image of Nibiru."

I did as Jim told me to and from my station I bought up a 3D image of the planet and the three of us looked carefully at the world as it slowly rotated on the screen in front of us.

"There!" Jim said as he pointed toward an area leading into the water. "We can hide the Enterprise in the ocean, we'd be able to keep hidden along with being under the disruptive atmospheric layer to keep in constant communication with the shuttle and the distraction team. The distraction team can then rendezvous at this beach with the shuttlecraft, and from there we can take it back to the Enterprise without the Nibiran's spotting us."

"Is the shuttle or the Enterprise able to handle such conditions?" I looked toward Spock curiously who gave a thoughtful look back.

"We wouldn't be in the ocean long, just enough to get everyone in place to set off the device." Jim quickly intervened before snapping his fingers at Spock. "Spock, how long would it take for you to build your super ice cub?"

"At the latest?" Spock hummed. "Tomorrow evening."

"Perfect. Tomorrow night we'll take the Enterprise underwater, and the day the volcano is set to erupt is when our plan will jump into action." Jim said before looking at me expectantly. "Ally, this can work."

"Yes, but so much can also go wrong." I sighed as I placed my elbows on the table, folding my hands in front of me and rested my forehead against it. "We'd be risking Spock's life, Jim. What if Spock gets trapped in the volcano? What if the Enterprise stops working as soon as we submerge ourselves in the ocean?"

"Then we make it up as we go." Jim tried his best to be persuasive. "Together, we can find a solution to anything."

I gave it a few seconds before looking back to Jim.

"In the end…you're the Captain, Jim." I sighed as I gave him an exhausted smile. "I'll support whatever the majority decides."

"Thank you Ally." Jim smiled before addressing both Spock and myself. "We have so much to do and so little time. Let's get to it."

* * *

"I don't understand why I agreed to this…" Leonard mumbled from his communicator through a personal line I had opened for just the two of us.

"Because Jim asked you to." I smiled as I stood in front of the viewing screen, watching as a large, unknown fish that resembled an angler fish swim pass. "Come on Leonard, it's exciting being on an unknown planet that's similar to our own."

"Yeah sure…unknown planet, unknown terrain, unknown plants, covered head to toe in heavy clothing, and the possibility of an alien bug crawling into my clothes to bite me giving me an unknown disease." Leonard grumbled. "If heatstroke doesn't get to me, then this beast I'm standing next to will."

"Ah…my grumpy doctor. I'm missing you already." I giggled quietly. "Jim should be meeting up with you soon. After, if things go according to plan, you'll be back on the Enterprise before you can say 'Georgia peaches'." I heard Leonard laugh through the other end which immediately caused my smile to grow. "I'll be waiting for you to return."

"Haven't had someone waiting for me to get back in a long while…" I heard Leonard mumble. "it's a nice feeling."

I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face, the poor man must've had such a hard time leading up to the divorce and even after…yet he remained such a sweetheart. "Be safe, see you when you return."

"We have movement from the Nibiran's, zey have exited the pyramid." Chekov informed me just as I ended my communication with Leonard.

"It's showtime ladies and gentlemen." I called to those on the bridge. "Standby, prepare for any sudden changes."

"Kirk to Shuttle One." I heard Jim yell through the open communication from my earpiece. "Locals are out of the kill zone. You are clear. Repeat. Spock, get in there, neutralize the volcano and let's get out of here."

"Captain, did the indigenous life forms see you?" Spock asked, his voice wavering just a bit due to what I assumed was from the unsteady shuttlecraft as it flew toward the volcano using the volcanic ash as cover.

"No, Mister Spock, they did not." Jim responded.

"The prime directive clearly states there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations." Spock decided, now, to recite regulations after all the fight I put up during our own meeting. Though I suppose better for Spock to say something then me saying anymore. I've said all that I needed to say back in our meeting.

"I know what it says!" Jim said, wheezing and breathing heavily as panic underlined his words. "Which is why I'm running through the jungle wearing a disguise! Now drop off your super ice cube and let's go! Kirk out!"

"Shuttle One is just about to drop the cold fusion device into the volcano." I relayed to the crew. "Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy are on their way to the rendezvous destination."

I waited on baited breath for any sign of good news, still anxious as ever knowing that Spock was headed to the very center of an active volcano ready to blow in seconds along with Leonard and Jim being chased by the natives of this planet hell bent on killing them. So much could go wrong…and as the old Earth saying goes. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

And as usual for the Enterprise…things never seem to go according to plan.

"Sulu to Enterprise. The cable holding Commander Spock snapped…we lost him. Shuttle One was hit. The coils and the engines are fried. We're abandoning ship." I heard Sulu's voice come through from communications. "The Captain and Doctor McCoy are finding their own way back to the Enterprise."

"Dammit!" I cursed under my breath as I reached up to my earpiece, pressing a button to get into contact with Spock. "Spock, are you alright?"

"Indeed." Spock's voice came through though there was static in the background as he continued to speak. "Commander DeLuca, you know the prime directive."

"Don't bring that up now Spock!" I snapped as I folded my arms across my chest, bringing my right hand up to bite the nail on my thumb. "…I know what the prime directive states…"

"You know we cannot break the prime directive, under no circumstances must we reveal ourselves to the natives." Spock responded.

"Spock, we can't just leave you to die." I growled as I tried to come up with any other option to try and get him out of there while keeping to the prime directive. "There has to be-"

"There isn't none." Spock cut me off. "The Captain will ask you for options, and you know there isn't anything we can do. You've already calculated the odds. As you've said, we must uphold the directive even at the cost of our own life and the crew."

"Don't use my words against me," I shook my head. "at the time…yes. That is what I believed, but now it's different. Now we got ourselves into this mess and we can't lose our First Officer!" I squeezed my eyes shut. 'I don't want to lose my best friend…'

"I'm placing the device down." Spock's voice came through before I heard the doors behind me open, and in walked Sulu and Nyota. I silently motioned for the two to quickly take up their stations before trying for Spock once more only to hear nothing. I growled in irritation and was so tempted to throw my earpiece against the front viewscreen.

"Captain on the bridge!" Chekov announced and as I turned around I saw a soaking wet Leonard and Jim run onto the bridge.

"Commander, do we have an open channel to Mister Spock?" Jim asked as I ran back over to my station.

"The heat's frying his comms," I responded through gritted teeth as I pushed a few buttons on my station. "but we still have contact."

"Spock?" Jim called as he pressed a button on the navigation station.

"I have activated the device, Captain." Spock responded, a large explosion coming through on his end. "When the countdown is complete, the reaction should render the volcano inert."

"Yeah, and that's gonna render him inert!" Leonard spoke up.

"Do we have use of the transporters?" Jim asked Chekov.

"Negative, sir." Sulu spoke.

"Not with these magnetic fields." Chekov looked up to Jim.

"I need to beam Spock back to the ship. Give me one way to do it." Jim said as he looked back toward me and then back to Chekov expectantly.

"Uh, maybe if we had a direct line of sight. If we got closer…" Chekov began to say before Scotty cut the kid off.

"Hold on, wee man! You're talking about an active volcano! Sir," Scotty turned to Jim. "if that thing erupts, I cannae guarantee we can withstand the heat!"

"I don't know that we can maintain that kind of altitude." Sulu added in.

"Our shuttle was concealed by the ash cloud, but the Enterprise is too large. If utilized in a rescue effort, it would be revealed to the indigenous species." Spock added in as well.

"Spock, nobody knows the rules better than you, but there has got to be an exception." Jim pleaded as Leonard stepped up to Jim's side.

"None. Such action violates the prime directive." Spock cut Jim off.

"Shut up, Spock! We're trying to save you, damn it!" Leonard growled out.

"Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Spock reasoned.

"Spock, we're talking about your life!" Jim yelled out in frustration and I couldn't help but lean over onto my station. I couldn't handle this, I was irritated and frustrated that we couldn't do anything. I warned Jim…and now? Not only was I gonna lose my closest friend, but I realized that the person who I grew close to over the year was gonna lose her SoulMate. Nyota was gonna have to experience watching her Mate die!

"The rule cannot be broken…" Spock started to speak, his voice started to cut in and out before the communication was completely disconnected. From the corner of my eyes I saw Nyota close to tears as she held a hand up to her mouth to stop her from calling out. Helpless and afraid of what would become of the person who meant the world to her. Who in reality…was the world to her.

"Spock!" Jim yelled before calling toward another crewman. "Try to get him back online."

"Ninety seconds to detonation…" Chekov responded.

"Ally…" Jim's voice called to me and as I looked up his blue eyes stared back at me once more. Those insufferable, sad, hopeful blue eyes looked toward me for answers and once again I was put in this position. Having to decide between upholding the standards my father made us live by or helping my…family?

'Right…' I thought as I glanced at the crew present on the bridge. Family. This crew...everyone here was my family now.

I entered Starfleet, studied so hard to step out of what my father planned for me, and with every move and decision I made I was so worried about being reprimanded that it prevented me from actually living. They weren't here now. They would never be around to scold me for not doing what they wanted, for not upholding their standards.

Regulations that have been grounded into my being since birth be damned. I would break it all to save my family.

"We'll need to time this right…" I said to Jim. "if we do then we have a chance."

"We only need a chance." Jim said. "What can we do?"

"The only thing we can do…" I said as I set my sights on Jim's being filled with a sudden burst of determination. "we break the prime directive. I will do whatever you decide to do, Captain. And what happens today in this very moment, we both need to be in agreement. I will not let you take full responsibility, it will fall on our shoulders no matter what transpires today."

"Then we break the prime directive." Jim nodded his head with a smile. "Let's go save Spock."

"Let's bring back our First Officer." I nodded my head as I started inputting commands into my station that would immediately start up the engines.

"Mister Sulu, start up the ship, get us out of this water. We're taking to the skies." Jim called out the order. "Take us as close to the volcano as possible so that Mister Spock is in our sights."

"Shields are up and whatever support you need, Mister Sulu, my station will be there to help." I said to Sulu who immediately jumped into action.

"Yes, Commander." Sulu said as the ship started to vibrate and rise from the bottom of the ocean.

"Mister Chekov, timer on screen if you please." I ordered as I watched on our viewscreen the numbers counting down.

"Captain, Commander! Sir…ma'am listen to me." Scotty argued. "Now I want to save Commander Spock as much as you do, but the ship is not built to handle that kind of heat! If we get caught we'd either have to abandon the ship or go down with it."

"Mister Scott, head back to your station. We understand the consequences, but if we time this correctly…we can get out of there just before it erupts to avoid further damage to the ship." I assured Scotty. "Mister Sulu, the moment we breach the water's surface, turn this ship a full 180 and make for the volcano."

"Transporter room!" Jim called. "Standby! The very moment you get a visual on Spock you beam him aboard!"

"Understood Captain!" Someone from the transporter room responded.

I supported Sulu in getting our ship quickly out of the water, on the viewscreen I saw our ship quickly ascending to the surface, the light penetrating the water getting brighter the faster we reached topside.

"Enterprise is in the air!" Sulu said as he started to turn the ship around, the timer on the screen reading ten seconds and counting down.

'Come on…come on…' I thought as we flew the Enterprise closer to the volcano, the smoke getting thicker and darker as we pulled in close as molten lava started to spew out from the opening of the mountain.

"We have visual!" The transporter room called. "We have Commander Spock!"

"Five seconds, get us out of here Mister Sulu." I said as I continued to stare back at the screen seeing as we had only less than a second left before the device would activate. Jim and Leonard ran off the bridge, I'm assuming to make sure Spock was safely back aboard the Enterprise. I held my breathe, waiting to get the all clear from the transporter room.

"Bridge to Captain Kirk." I heard Nyota's panicked voice call to the transporter room.

"Yes, Lieutenant." Jim responded after a couple seconds.

"Is Commander Spock on board, sir?" Nyota asked.

"Safely and soundly." I heard Jim say. I was finally able to let out a sigh of relief as did Nyota, though things took a turn for the worse we were still able to come out of this alive as always.

"Please notify him that his device has successfully detonated." Nyota said as I walked up to her station, watching as she took the earpiece out of her ear and threw it against the glass screen on her console. I saw her glare at her screen as she leaned back into her chair and I couldn't help but reach out and clasp her shoulder.

"You okay?" I asked her as I sat at Spock's station.

"Fine." Nyota gave a short but sharp answer, she was breathing heavily and she looked like she had more to say.

"I understand your frustration…and the fear that must've been going through your mind…" I voiced. "it'll all be okay." Nyota still didn't say anything, simply continued to stare at her monitor and if I was being honest. I had no idea what else I could say or do aside from the obvious. "Do…do you need a hug?"

Nyota's eyes turned to me and I could see the frustration, the helplessness, and the need of reassurance that Spock…that everything was going to be okay. Nyota leaned forward and threw her arms around my neck. I was taken back at first at the sudden motion before I heard her let out a silent sniffle. I simply smiled as I patted her back to calm her down.

* * *

"I feel so much better being back in my quarters." Leonard let out a sigh of relief as he came out of his bathroom, his hair dripping wet from showering off all the sea water. "Or as better as I can be..."

"Come here." I smiled as I patted the open area beside me on the couch I was seated on. "I'll help dry your hair."

"You don't have to do that…" Leonard mumbled, though he did what I had requested.

"I don't have to, but I want to." I assured Leonard, taking the towel out of his hands as I situated myself between his legs and draped the towel around his neck. I started to dry his hair off while simultaneously giving him a small scalp massage. "You've been chased around the planet, had spears thrown at you and had to swim all the way down to the bottom of the ocean to get back to the Enterprise. You deserve to relax."

Leonard let out a soft groan, his shoulders rolled as he tried to work out the tension before he visibly relaxed. My poor doctor…how stressful it must've been.

"Thank you darlin'." Leonard mumbled from under the towel.

"You're welcome dear." I giggled before I felt his hands gently grab my wrist, preventing me from continuing as I saw hazel pools peeking out from under the towel, staring up at me through half lidded eyes.

"How are you holding up?" Leonard asked me. "I saw how conflicted you were back on the bridge."

"I was troubled," I smiled at Leonard. "but not anymore."

"You're still troubled." Leonard fixed his eyes on my own. "I can tell just by looking into your eyes…and because I'm feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. I know that feeling is not coming from me."

"You know, I still find it fascinating how you're slowly starting to tell how I'm feeling and vice versa." I said as I moved down to massage his temples. "According to Ambassador Spock, it should've taken years of bonding to establish some form of empathic connection. Most times it rarely gets established."

I had taken notice of it not too long ago, but if I was to really think back on certain events it's highly possible this empathic connection was established way before without us even realizing it. It started when Leonard was uncomfortable because I was jealous during the incident with Mudd (though that is just speculation on my part when I thought back to some possible incidences that could've given us this connection).

There was another time when the crew started to act irrational during the time when that unknown virus started to spread through contact. I was suddenly overcome by a sense of failure and extreme exhaustion, and at that time I had thought it was due to the virus that was bringing forth my own hidden emotions. But what I didn't know until much later was that a crewman had given in to his self-doubt and attempted to take his life. Leonard had tried to save the man, succeeded, but the crewman had succumbed to his injuries even though it wasn't severe…like he had given up hope in living. Leonard, though he had lost patients before, had never lost someone like that. When I thought back to my shift at the time, I realized I hadn't touched anyone, so getting the virus was out of the question. So, I had started to think that there was possibly something more to what I had felt.

Then there was the tribble incident. I was elated in having a pet for the very first time I think that emotion doubled what Leonard was feeling toward the tribbles. I started to think that it may be possible that, for now, only intense emotions that either of us experience can be felt through our bond.

Afterwards, I brought it up to Leonard and we've been attentive ever since to see if we could prove my theory correct. So far? In the year we've established ourselves as SoulMates either he's become very good at reading me or there is a possibility that we could faintly feel what the other was feeling. If it's the second, then I couldn't wait for more years to pass to see what more could develop. That maybe, in the future, we could feel what the other is feeling even if we're planets away from each other! Who knows what more I could learn together with Leonard! I was getting excited just thinking of the countless possibilities!

"Allyson," Leonard's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I saw a small smirk playing at his lips. "where did your mind go that got you so happy?"

"How you could feel that I was troubled." I smiled. "The possibility of how much stronger the bond could become in our future since something that's supposed to take many years to develop only took us a year."

"That little smile you get when you're excited about finding something new about our Marks…it's endearing." Leonard commented as he lightly bumped his forehead with mine. "Now that that little feeling at the back of my head is gone, care to tell me what was troubling you?"

"Do you want to know the first thing I ever read when I was little?" I asked Leonard who looked back at me with a curious gaze. "Starfleet Rules and Regulations."

"I'm getting real tired of your family…" Leonard grumbled as I simply laughed and agreed.

"I was conflicted at first about breaking the prime directive, I made it very clear when I had a meeting with Jim and Spock. But when Spock's life was in danger I thought there was only one thing we could do: let Spock die to uphold Starfleet's guiding principle." I sighed. "I was being held back by the one principle my blood family told us to never break, but I had a revelation while standing on the bridge."

"What would that be?" Leonard urged me to keep talking.

"Everyone on this ship is my family. We may not be related by blood, but it didn't matter." I stated firmly. "The training I went through with my family would not influence or hold me back anymore, I will continue to walk my own path. Everyone on this ship has done more for me than my own family ever did, and I would do anything for my family. Rules be damned, I would break all of Starfleet's rules to save my family and take any punishment that comes my way with pride knowing that I did what I felt was right."

Leonard didn't give me a second more to talk, he had leaned forward and closed the small gap that was between us. Our lips had touched, though the kiss was brief, in that moment my chest felt warm and my heart had stopped. Leonard's lips were gentle, sweet, soft and...all very new to me! This was my first time! What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to react? But…there was something else, a kind of electrical spark at the moment of contact, like I could feel all the love Leonard felt for me.

Leonard pulled away with the widest smile I had ever seen on his face as he rubbed his nose with mine. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Though I should've done that months ago…"

I could breathe again, but my heart was beating hard against my chest and I gingerly lifted my hand up to touch my lips…the warm lingering feeling still there before looking back at Leonard then down to his lips. "Can…will we…have more opportunities to do that again?"

"We're SoulMates, Allyson." Leonard continued to smile. "Whenever you want, I'd gladly oblige."

Leonards eyes watched me carefully to see what I would do next, and I just had to place the towel over his eyes in embarrassment. I was going to go in for a second try, but I didn't want him staring at me. Maybe this time I could give some other kind of reaction, but what I did know was that I really wanted to do that again.

But before my lips could connect with his…I heard my PADD ping a few times notifying me that I had an important message waiting for me.

"Sorry…I think I have to take that." I apologized as I moved away and out of Leonard's space to where my PADD was resting on the arm of the couch. Our moment was interrupted, but my heart was still racing a mile a minute, and I couldn't wait to kiss my doctor again. I opened the message and saw it was from Starfleet. "Good news, seems we're headed back to Earth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I got some of my dates wrong after seeing the beginning of Into Darkness. So, here is the timeline of dates so far.
> 
> 2259.20 - Birthday Special! (January 20)  
> 2259.32 - The Mudd Situation (February 1)  
> 2259.41 - I Love Fluffy Things! (February 10)  
> 2259.44-2259.52 - Prime Directive Be Damned! (February 13-February 21)  
> 2259.55 - Star Trek: Into Darkness (February 24)
> 
> Just thought I'd put this here, I didn't want anyone confused when or if I put a sudden date here and there lol.
> 
> If the chapter was a little bumpy here and there I apologize. I tried to make it flow the best that I could.


	15. Eight Hour Difference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the love and support! I love all your comments! It's such a breath of fresh air!

**LONDON 2259.55**

Nothing had changed…that much I was certain about.

For the past year, I've watched this world and the people in it act just as they had all those years ago…all they did was change the name to justify what they were doing.

They create weapons for war, find new things to help them achieve their visions, and when all has been accomplished what then happens to those creations? They get condemned for the blood that was shed by their hands.

The Eugenics War is what they called it now, a memory of a time long past. A history lesson for many of these small minded people to serve as a reminder to learn from the mistakes of the past. But for me it wasn't the past, I lived it and I continue to relive it as if it was yesterday.

Those scientists that created my kind in an attempt to improve the human race. Selective breeding and genetic engineering to weed out what they thought were mankind's faults. We were above the human race, created to lead humanity into an era of peace in a world born into and from war…all they ever knew was war. They created us to be better, they created the world they were living in…and they expected us to clean up their mess in order to bring about the new world. And we gave it to them! We gave them the peace they craved, just not in the way they envisioned it to be. They then started to call our aggressiveness and arrogance…flawed, but I didn't see it that way…we didn't see it that way.

We did what we were created to do, what those scientists wanted us to do and how did they repay us! By rising up, condemning us as war criminals and sentencing us to die.

I was a leader! A ruler! I was so much more than what I was reduced to now. The only mistake I made was not controlling my fellow Augments, and that mistake led us to turn on each other. All those nations we controlled…lost! Simply because there were a few defects that were allowed to exist in the world we created.

We would not be put to death by non genetically enhanced beings, so we fled to the stars. The twentieth century was too primitive and simple minded to comprehend our minds and ambition, so we fled on an early sleeper ship designated the SS Botany Bay…and in that ship we slept. Slept in hopes that when we were awoken the new world would've changed, would've advanced beyond our expectations.

Only to find that when I alone was awoken I had a gun pointed at me and was ordered to create weaponry for a man who was holding my crew…my family hostage! Threatened to kill them if I didn't agree to their terms! I had no choice, in order to save what was left of my people I complied and did as that man had ordered.

A month in I had heard from a passing personnel that while we had slept the life units in twelve of the cryotubes had failed, the occupants inside had died…but which twelve though? Which twelve did I lose! They didn't give me the opportunity to check. How dare they keep that information from me! I made a decision right then and there.

I worked in secret. I swallowed my pride, made the weapons they wanted while in secret I worked on a plan to get my crew out of this insufferable place and out of danger.

But I was caught, just as I was able to conceal my crew into the very weapons I designed I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone, as much as it killed me to leave them behind I didn't have the necessary capabilities to transfer all seventy-two torpedoes without a ship. And I knew the moment I escaped that that man would've killed them all…he had no use for them anymore without me.

I vowed I would extract my revenge! For using my friends, my family to control me. For commanding me like a dog to create weapons to achieve his visions. He took those I held most dear to me and in return? I will take everything from him. His vision, his weapons, I will dismantle his 'empire' and when he's left with nothing I will take great pleasure in taking his life.

And I knew the very person who would help me get that man exactly where I wanted him to be.

Thomas Harewood. Starfleet Officer. Husband. A father.

A man who works at the Kelvin Memorial Archive which was only a cover up for what lay beneath the building: Section 31. An organization that claimed to protect the safety of the United Federation of Planets from any potential enemies that pose a threat by developing weapons technology or gathering intelligence on Klingons, but with that man in charge? That section was created to prepare for a war he was going to instigate.

Thomas and Rima Harewood have a daughter, Lucille Harewood. A terminally-ill patient at Royal Children's Hospital. I could see in his eyes the helplessness he felt at being unable to help his own flesh and blood, but I could also see something else…and that was all I needed to be able to gain his help. He'd come to me willingly because he had no other choice.

The moment he stepped out for some air I had followed after him. I approached Mister Harewood that was looking down over the balcony, leaning on the railing as he attempted to hide the pain he was experiencing. So I spoke out. "I can save her."

Harewood lifted his head at the sound of my voice and turned toward me, his expression a mixture of hope and disbelief as his response came out just short of breath. "What did you say?"

"Your daughter." I stated as I kept my hands in the pockets of my coat. "I can save her."

"Who are you?" Harewood asked.

This man was going to take what I had to offer, no matter the cost and I couldn't help but smile.

Alexander Marcus…you should've let me sleep.

* * *

**SAN FRANCISCO 2259.55**

"Spock," I greeted in slight shock as I walked up to Admiral Pike's office. "did Admiral Pike summon you too?"

"The Admiral had summoned both the Captain and myself to his office." Spock responded as he was in the process of placing his cap back on his head, the two of us wearing our Starfleet issued grey dress uniform compared to our normal on duty uniform we wore on the Enterprise. "I believe I have angered both the Captain along with Admiral Pike."

"Is this…about what happened on the Nibiru?" I asked with slight worry as Spock simply nodded his head.

"I had written a report detailing what happened on the planet. Because the Enterprise had to reveal itself to the natives to save my life thus breaking the prime directive I felt it necessary to take full responsibility for such actions." Spock said. "Apparently, the Captain had not been entirely truthful in his captain's log which contradicted with my report. Hence why Admiral Pike had called us to his office."

"I can see why Jim would be upset…" I mumbled.

"Just before being dismissed, Admiral Pike had asked if I was giving him an attitude." Spock looked back to the Admiral's office door. "I had simply stated the truth, that I was expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously and asked which he was referring to."

"Spock…" I sighed with a hand over my eyes. "of course Admiral Pike would be angry after that kind of response."

_"That's your problem, you think you're infallible! You think you can't make a mistake. It's a pattern with you! And what's worse is you using blind luck to justify your playing God!"_

Admiral Pike's voice was muffled by the door, but for us to be able to hear it I dread to think what it was like being inside and hearing him scolding Jim that way. At the same time I feared what he would say to me if I was called to his office as well. After all…it was also my decision to disobey the directive along with breaking a dozen other Starfleet regulations.

"I don't think it would be wise to be here when the Captain gets out…" I smiled up to Spock. "if I get the chance, I'll let you know what Admiral Pike says to me."

Spock nodded his head in agreement before turning to leave, leaving me alone standing on the side of the door to Admiral Pike's office hearing snippets of the Admiral's voice coming through the crack of his door. I couldn't help but nervously sway side to side, wringing my hands together as I tried to do some deep breathing to calm my nerves.

_"You don't listen to anybody but yourself! No! I can't listen!"_

Admiral Pike's yelling was not helping, I feared that when it was my turn to speak to Admiral Pike my voice would crack so I tried to drown out the yelling that was going on on the other side of the door.

I jumped in surprise when the door opened and I saw Jim exit the office with a sullen expression, he had taken one glance at me…gave me a nod and a weak smile before walking away. Leaving without saying a word to me.

"Commander DeLuca." Admiral Pike's voice evenly called to me. "Come in."

I swallowed the lump that was in my throat before entering his office, taking off my cap in the process as I stood at attention in front of his desk. Admiral Pike fell back into his chair in exhaustion and as silence settled between us I started to get more nervous with each second that passed by.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I spoke first, hoping that my voice sounded as even as it did in my head.

"I expect you know why I called you here today." Admiral Pike said, though it was not a question. I knew he wanted me to give him nothing but the truth, that it would be easier if I stuck to the truth instead of attempting to lie.

"I do, sir." I tried to state firmly as Admiral Pike only sighed.

"Commander DeLuca, I expected more from you." Admiral Pike said and I could hear the prominent disappointment in his voice as he spoke, and it only caused more guilt to settle in the pit of my stomach. "A lot more from you."

"I apologize sir…" I sincerely said as I tried my best to keep my head high and holding eye contact with Admiral Pike. "I will take full responsibility for the actions that were taken on that day and will accept any punishment given…"

"What happened that day Commander DeLuca?" Admiral Pike asked. "I know what your family puts their children through, and no matter how much I try to come up with some sort of explanation…nothing seems to make sense." Admiral Pike stared back at me. "I want to know what went through your head that day that caused you to go against all that you were taught when you were a child. Was it you wanting to rebel against your family?"

"No, sir." I shook my head. "I didn't do it to rebel, it has nothing to do with my family."

"Then help me understand Commander." Admiral Pike was close to raising his voice. "Because I simply don't understand what caused this. What transpired that day?"

"At first, I had brought up the prime directive, I urged Captain Kirk to let it go. Listed what could possibly go wrong, but in the end I left it up to the deciding factor." I stated. "And in that moment when everything was already happening and we were in that mess, I was conflicted before I realized…I couldn't let Commander Spock die. Captain Kirk and myself agreed and came to an unanimous decision to break regulations in order to save Commander Spock's life."

"You would break the rules and regulations just like that?" Admiral Pike questioned, his eyes never leaving mine. "Your father wouldn't-"

"To save the crew that I have come to view as my true family? Yes. It would be that easy for me to break any rules and regulations." I nodded my head, my voice holding as strong as my conviction. "And with all due respect Admiral, I am not my family. I will never be like my family. My future decisions cannot be predicted on the basis of what any DeLuca would do."

I don't know where my strength had come from, but I did know that I did not appreciate being compared to any DeLuca anymore. I've left that life behind, the Enterprise and its crew was my priority.

"I understand Commander..." Admiral Pike said as he carefully got back to his feet, using his cane as he hobbled his way to stand beside me. "I understand you don't want to be compared, to be held by the same expectation Starfleet has toward your family, whatever happened between you and your bloodline to create such animosity is none of my concern. You are you, and they are them…I understand that. I thank you for your honesty and that you are willing to take responsibility for what happened that day."

"I'm sorry for any disrespect in my previous statement…" I lowered my head to show that I meant what I was saying from the bottom of my heart.

"You've changed, for better or for worse I'm still deciding, but I know I see a stronger woman standing before me then when she first entered into the academy, even stronger than the woman who graced my bridge a year ago." Admiral Pike chuckled. "Which is why I'm afraid to tell you what the board had decided concerning your case…"

Admiral Pike continued to speak, and my eyes went wide in shock as he informed me what was said in the meeting.

* * *

In exchange for the vial of my blood, blood that would save his daughter's life, I told Harewood to detonate a bomb disguised as a Starfleet ring in the sub-basement the moment he saw that the transfusion worked. The ring I designed to detonate in five minutes after being exposed to water, just enough time to issue an evacuation and for Harewood to escape the facility, whether he does escape though is none of my concern. I did my part.

But why? Why did I give him that window of opportunity to escape death?!

There was something wrong with me, I knew it the moment I woke up. At first I thought Marcus had done something to me, but that wasn't the case. I was acting differently, conflicted about something. Was it taking the life of an innocent that was bothering me? Impossible! I had taken so many lives three hundred years ago, so why now! Why did I feel bad about it now?

I did a scan after I felt that inkling feeling of something gnawing at the back of my mind...only to find that nothing was wrong with me. My body and my mind was functioning just as it had all those years ago. No tracking implant, nothing that would activate to kill me or force me to do something against my will.

So what was it! It was so infuriating! Frustrating!

I inhaled the steam that accumulated during my shower before letting out a long, deep sigh. 'Come morning, my plan would be set in motion. I needed to focus.'

A sudden wave of exhaustion settled over my body as I stared at myself in the mirror, and in my reflection two words stared back at me. Those two words were the cause of my strange behavior, I was sure of it.

SoulMarks. A weakness that we augments ignored. I was fortunate enough to be born without one, which made me the perfect specimen. I had no weakness, I was free to rule as I pleased without worrying about someone getting to me through my SoulMate. Or my SoulMate getting me to bend to their every will. Now! This…thing on my chest appears over my heart. Why now! Who are you? Are you the cause for my conflicting emotions!

I wanted to burn it off the very first time I saw it…yet I didn't have the heart to do so, and that angered me even more! I had so many questions, and in my moment of rage I had smashed the mirror in the bathroom. I had attempted to look for them, but I had no authorization to access any of their files, all I knew was that they had a Starfleet profile…nothing else.

'I will never meet you…' I thought as I braced myself over the bathroom sink, the porcelain beneath my fingers cracking under the pressure I applied. 'and if I do. I will be rid of you…'

* * *

Mellow blues music played over the speaker, and once again I found myself in the same place I always end up on days like these…back at a bar drinking my problems away.

I sat at the bartenders table, after the day I had I needed this. My First Officer who I considered a friend backstabbed me, the Enterprise was taken from me, and I was being sent back to the academy. What a day.

I took another shot before exhaling, feeling the liquid go down my throat and warm the very center of my chest before turning to glance to my right. I met eyes with a very stunning and attractive woman who smiled back at me, holding eye contact and just waiting for me to introduce myself first.

I weighed my options and decided, yeah…I needed that too.

Just as I was about to turn back to greet the woman Admiral Pike decided in that very moment to block me and sit in the seat just between us. I couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh.

"How did you find me?" I asked Admiral Pike, my eyes averted back to the glass I was previously drinking from.

"I know you better than you think I do." Admiral Pike said as he motioned for a glass of his own. "The first time I found you was in a dive like this. Remember that? You got your ass handed to you."

I thought back to the night he was talking about and was offended. My ass handed to me? "No, I didn't."

"You don't?" Admiral Pike asked.

"No, that's not what happened." I defended myself.

"That was an epic beating." Admiral Pike started to joke…I think.

"No, it wasn't." I shook my head, still denying what he was saying.

"You had napkins hanging out of your nose." Admiral Pike recalled, causing the two of us to share a laugh. Yeah…I did have napkins hanging out of my nose. "Did you not?"

"Yeah, that was a good fight." I agreed, knowing full well that the Admiral was not going to give unless I conceded.

"A good fight." Admiral Pike nodded his head. "I think that's your problem right there."

Admiral Pike didn't say any more as we sat in silence for a solid minute before I turned to look at him, silently asking why he seeked me out in the first place.

"They gave her back to me." Admiral Pike said. "The Enterprise."

"Congratulations." And I meant it, truly I did. Sure I was upset, but there was nothing I could do anymore. I blew my chance, but at least I know the ship would be in good hands. Her and the crew. I reached out and poured me another drink. "Watch your back with that First Officer, though."

"Spock's not going to be working with me." Admiral Pike stated. "He's been transferred. USS Bradbury."

"Then a promotion for Ally? She came to your officer soon after I did." I drank what I had poured. "She's a great officer, she deserves it."

"Allyson…has been transferred as well." Admiral Pike stated which caused me to spit out my drink.

"What do you mean she's been transferred?" I asked through my coughing fit, looking back at Admiral Pike for answers. I was disturbed by that! "Why would she be transferred? She did nothing wrong! I was the one that made the final decision and coerced her to take my side."

"She took responsibility as well." Admiral Pike stated as he reached over to take the bottle I had bought for myself, pouring himself a drink. "Though Spock hadn't reported it, the board members thought it was necessary. It wasn't my decision to transfer her, but Admiral Marcus. He decided it during the tribunal. You're going to be my First Officer." Admiral Pike turned to me. "Yeah, Marcus took some convincing. But every now and then I can make a good case."

"What did you tell him?" I asked.

"The truth." Admiral Pike said. "That I believe in you. That if anybody deserves a second chance, it's Jim Kirk."

I looked away from Admiral Pike, thankful to be getting that second chance, but how do I convey how grateful I am to him for giving me that opportunity? He's stuck his neck out for me, trusted me more times than I could count, and more times then I deserved. "I don't know what to say…"

"That is a first." Admiral Pike said as he reached out and patted my shoulder in assurance. "It's going to be okay, son."

I never got to know my father, but with everything Admiral Pike had done for me…he can come close to being that father figure that I never had.

'Ally…' Though I was happy for being reinstated I still needed to know where my friend was going, and I needed to apologize to her. "Where's Allyson being transferred to…"

Admiral Pike didn't look like he wanted to say anything about Allyson, there was something that was bothering him each time I had brought Allyson up.

"Allyson DeLuca is a special case." Admiral Pike sighed. "Do you know what caused the rift between Allyson and her family?"

I shook my head and listened carefully to what Admiral Pike was about to say.

"The DeLuca's always have a life planned out for their children, a plan that would help every child achieve greatness, but she did something they didn't expect her to do: she rejected it. The details are…classified, personal matter I suppose. They see Allyson as a defect, and more so now that she settled for something less than their expectations." Admiral Pike stated. "I, on the other hand, do not believe she is flawed. I believe Allyson DeLuca could and would accomplish what many in her family for centuries failed to do. You see, the DeLuca's were known to command the respect of their ship and crew with an iron first." Admiral Pike paused for a second before continuing on. "On the other hand, Allyson DeLuca earns that command and respect the moment she opens her mouth to speak. She draws people in, changes them…motivates them to strive to be better than they already are. She's not a captain, but being of lesser title I feel she's already achieved and out done what many in her family could not. They're just too proud to see that, and that pride will always be their downfall. They cannot see the greatness she has achieved just by stepping out of her family's shadow. And she's grown into that just by being a part of the Enterprise."

"She is someone that gets along well with everyone." I nodded my head as I thought back to all the times on the ship. "She's helped solve a lot of our problems…and she works hard in all aspects of her life."

"I saw that potential back in her academy days. Saw what she could achieve…all she needed was that little push in the right direction. That direction was being around people who could lift her up just as much as she lifts people up. She wasn't just assigned to the Enterprise Jim, I wanted her on my ship." Admiral Pike said. "But…Admiral Marcus did not see that. All he saw was a DeLuca being held back from becoming what many in her family has become, that she wasn't living up to her full potential."

Admiral Pike looked to me before finally deciding to tell me where Allyson was being transferred to.

"Admiral Marcus has transferred her over to the USS Dauntless as their First Officer." Admiral Pike said. "Under the command of her sister, Captain Celestyn DeLuca."

* * *

I sat in my apartment, in the dark, still trying to process what Admiral Pike had just told me. I spent years running away from my family. Trying my best to avoid running into them only to be thrown back into the lion's den.

I loved my job, I loved my position on the Enterprise, this was the worst thing the board could've ever decided. They called it a promotion, I call it a punishment. The only silver lining I suppose is that it wasn't my brother or my father that I was assigned to. My sister was tolerable…on her good days. On her bad days? She could be just like our father. Being five years older than me, she was free to do things her own way so long as she did it in a way our father would approve of, and I never knew what she wanted most of the time. A rogue, unknown…yet perfect element to our seemingly 'perfect' family.

Now the question was, which sister would greet me once I transfer over.

Solid, even knockings came from my front door snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock on my dresser and saw how late it was. 'Who could that be…?'

I got up from my bed and went over to the door, tapping the button on the screen that was located by the entrance to check who was on the other side and groaned.

"Open up." A woman with dark brown hair dressed in the grey Starfleet uniform smiled up at the camera as she continued to knock on my door. "Come on! I haven't seen you in years Allyson!"

I got the tolerable one…I think.

"Celestyn," I greeted politely as I stared down at her, she was about six inches shorter than myself standing at 5'0. The two of us almost at a standoff because in reality, neither of us knew what to say. "is…is there a reason you've come to my apartment at this hour?"

"To talk." Celestyn said before motioning into my apartment. "Well? Where are your manners? Are you going to invite me in?"

'Or did I get Captain Celestyn?' I thought before opening my door further and inviting her in. "I didn't think you'd want to come in."

"I wasn't going to speak to you out in the hallway." Celestyn said as I saw her grimace at my apartment. "Gosh what a mess."

It wasn't, it was small compared to hers I suppose, but it wasn't a mess that's for sure.

"Still putting your Marks on display I see?" Celestyn commented as she sat on one of the stools by my kitchen bar table, making herself as comfortable as possible.

"I didn't think it necessary to hide them in my own home." I shot back as I went over to my fridge. "Drink?"

"None for me, thank you though." Celestyn smiled as she leaned onto the table. "So, what have you been up to since you ran away from the family?"

"I didn't run away, I enlisted into Starfleet like we were told to do." I stated plainly as I took a can out of my fridge.

"You ran away, Allyson. Abandoned all of our parents plans for you." Celestyn said as her smile vanished. "Father wasn't too happy about the courses you decided to take."

"Father may not have been happy, but I didn't care. I got into Starfleet without our father's help. I supported myself and got to where I am today." I defended as I took a sip. "I think I had a right to decide the courses that would benefit me."

"Where you are today, what you achieved up until now, sure I suppose one could say those are great achievements…yet in my eyes and the eyes of our family, you are lesser now than what you could've been. Dear Allyson, how far you've fallen." Celestyn shrugged before her lips curved up into a prideful smirk. "I should be getting mad you know, I don't recall you ever speaking to me that way."

I froze mid swallow, she's used that tone before, and it always followed with our father being called to intervene before we got into a fight.

"Being away from the family, you've forgotten all that you've learned." Celestyn scoffed. "Untamed, unrefined, unsophisticated…you are a DeLuca, Allyson. You need to remember your place."

And there it was…our father's words and brutal honesty.

"You need to be trained all over again," Celestyn smiled. "Being on the Dauntless, serving under me, you will be. Father will be so proud of that accomplishment, and you can get back on track."

I knew Celestyn wanted to say more, but thankfully her communicator went off and interrupted our tense conversation. Celestyn checked her communicator and her smile vanished.

"We've been summoned. Emergency session, Daystrom." Celestyn said before she motioned with her head to my room. "Get dressed, make sure to cover your Marks, we need to get going. I'll meet you in the hallway."

I was quick to oblige, not because my sister…my commanding officer, ordered me to, but because we were needed urgently to report to headquarters.

When I finally joined my sister in the hallway, I noted that there was an instant change in her posture and demeanor even if her back was turned to me.

"I have a few more things to say before we reach headquarters, and you will listen without speaking." Celestyn commanded, the mirth that greeted me seconds ago long gone, replaced with the voice of a captain. "Remember our Father's lessons, Allyson. You are my First Officer, aboard my ship you represent me. When we meet with other high ranking Starfleet officials you represent the USS Dauntless. For once in your life act like a DeLuca instead of whatever personality you developed in your time away from the family. And above all else, as much as possible Commander DeLuca, do not embarrass me and my crew."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Khan seems out of character, believe me there's a reason for everything I write lol. Because we're so close to Allyson meeting Khan I've been spending most of my time writing this fanfic lol from last week along with this chapter I have like 4-5 chapters already written. I just have to correct them to the best of my abilities. That's how excited I am!


	16. Let Me Do My Job!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say, I am not a nurse/doctor. And it's been years since I've taken a health class (last time I remember was in high school sophomore year) so I have no idea if any of the medical care of wounds I wrote is accurate. I briefly did some research on google and that's it. But just adding here, don't take my care of wounds as reference to anything in real life lol.

_"All Starfleet personnel, please be advised, new security protocols are in effect."_ A woman's voice came through the public address system the moment Jim entered Starfleet headquarters. Jim was in the process of adjusting the top button of his uniform as he continued walking, glancing around in curiosity at seeing so many officers gathered and armed inside HQ.

"Captain." Spock greeted Jim, having been the first to notice him as they met half way on their way toward the elevator.

"Not anymore, Spock, First Officer." Jim informed Spock as the two entered the elevator, pressing the button that would take them to the Daystrom Conference room. "I was demoted and you were reassigned."

Jim pointed out to Spock as he placed his hand behind his back, mumbling something along the lines that pertained to Allyson though Spock couldn't quite pinpoint what it was about.

"It is fortunate that the consequences were not more severe." Spock said as his attempt on getting Jim to see the brighter side of the situation to which Jim simply let out a deep sigh.

"You've got to be kidding me." Jim scoffed.

"Captain, it was never my intention-" Spock began to say before Jim cut him off.

"Not Captain." Jim repeated to get his point across as he turned his body to completely face the Vulcan beside him. "I saved your life, Spock. You wrote a report, I lost my ship."

The doors to the elevator opened, and Jim was the first one to leave, biting his tongue to keep himself from saying anything he'd regret out of anger. He was still fuming after what took place today inside Admiral Pike's office, and Spock talking to him wasn't helping to diminish his feelings.

"Commander, I see now I should have alerted you to the fact that I submitted the report." Spock said as he quickly followed behind Jim.

"No, I'm familiar with your compulsion to follow the rules. But you see, I can't do that." Jim said before he stopped to confront Spock one last time before they went their separate ways. "Where I come from, if someone saves your life, you don't stab him in the back."

"Vulcans cannot lie." Spock stated.

"Then I'm talking to the half-human part of you. All right?" Jim sighed, knowing full well he wasn't getting through to Spock even though he really wanted to. "Do you understand why I went back for you?"

"Commander Spock?" A dark skinned elder gentleman interrupted their conversation to introduce himself. "Frank Abbot, USS Bradbury. Guess you're with me."

"Yes, Captain." Spock replied as he looked between Jim and Captain Abbot, the latter turning to leave and to speak to other captains that were present.

"The truth is…" Jim spoke out once more after Captain Abbot had left. "I'm going to miss you."

Jim looked at Spock expectantly, watching as the Vulcan opened his mouth to say something before closing it. Spock wasn't able to say anything back to Jim which caused the man to let out a sigh of frustration, giving up trying to get any sort of reaction from the Vulcan.

"Captain DeLuca." Admiral Marcus greeted, looking in their general direction and past them. "Glad you could make it, though I did expect your father to show."

"Father apologizes and sends his regards. He sent me in his place to represent him." A woman with a short, asymmetrical bobbed dark brown hair strode into the conference room with confidence, and from behind Jim saw Allyson following close behind. The first woman was shorter than Allyson, and about a foot shorter than the boys. She walked up to Admiral Marcus, and greeted him like a long lost friend.

"Ally-" Jim called as he stepped in front of Allyson to prevent her from following after the shorter woman.

"Commander Kirk. Commander Spock." Allyson greeted in a polite monotone voice, the two noticed that it was not how she normally spoke to them. It was like they were complete strangers….as if they were meeting for the very first time. While she wore her hair in a high ponytail, it was now in a low bun. She never smiled, her lips in a thin line and her eyes…dead. The light that usually shone through had extinguished. Her body was tense, posture as straight as a plank of wood and she continued to keep her hands glued to her side before she looked past them toward the conference room and was in the process of walking past them. "We should take our seats and wait for the meeting to start."

"Ally, wait." Jim tried to reach out to the woman only for her to take a quick step away to avoid his hand.

"I…I'm-" For a split second Allyson looked conflicted, a brief expression flashing in her eyes before the same woman that walked up to Admiral Marcus came back to Allyson's side.

"Commander DeLuca." The woman said, matching the same tone Allyson had used toward Spock and Jim. She had turned to glance at the men, sizing them up before giving Allyson a warning look. "Let's take our places."

"Apologies Captain, if you allow it, I ask that you give me a moment to join you. There is something Commander Spock and Commander Kirk wished to discuss with me." Allyson said, the shorter woman stared up with indifference before pivoting on her heels and walking away.

"Captain…DeLuca?" Spock asked with his head tilted to the side in question.

"I've been transferred. First Officer DeLuca aboard the USS Dauntless. My sister's ship." Allyson said as she slowly moved to stand directly in front of Jim just to be out of view from her sister who was watching Allyson like a hawk.

Jim took notice and moved closer to Spock, the two men creating a blockade for Allyson to be able to lower her guard. "I'm sorry…" Jim apologized and Allyson who simply shook her head.

"We made the decision together, Commander Kirk." Allyson assured Jim. "It was only logical that we both take responsibility along with the punishment that came with it. If only you got penalized, I think the guilt would eat away at me every waking moment."

"How are things so far with your new captain?" Jim asked Allyson, looking down at the woman with sympathy. He'd seen the immediate change from the Allyson that was on his ship and the Allyson that was standing in front of him. He was concerned about the wellbeing of his friend. "Honestly?"

"I hate it…" Allyson said, finally a spark of emotion flashing in her eyes even if it was such a sad look. "I spent my whole Starfleet career trying to leave my family for a reason only to return in the end. I'm slightly grateful that it's my sister and not any of the others in my family…she's tolerable on her good days. Whenever that is."

The three stood in silence, a realization passing through their heads that once this meeting was over they won't be working together anymore. They may never get to see each other unless their starships cross paths at the same space station.

"We had some good times didn't we? And maybe one day...I hope we can serve under the same ship once more." Allyson gave Jim and Spock a small smile before it quickly vanished as she moved around the two to walk away. "I'm going to miss you guys."

* * *

"Thank you for convening on such short notice." Admiral Marcus began to speak as we stood up from our chairs, waiting on the Admiral's next words. "Be seated." On command we all took our seats just as the Admiral did and the lights in the conference room dimmed down. "By now, some of you have heard what happened in London. The target was a Starfleet data archive. Now it's a damn hole in the ground, no deaths…many civilians and officers injured. One hour ago, I received a message from a Starfleet officer, who confessed to carrying out this attack, that he was being forced to do it by this man," On our individual screens in front of us a man's face appeared. He looked to be possibly northern European judging by his looks, sharp nose, high cheekbones, slick black hair, and if I was honest quite easy on the eyes. "Commander John Harrison. He's one of our own. And he is the man responsible for this act of treason. For reasons unknown, John Harrison has just declared a one-man war against Starfleet. And under no circumstances are we to allow this man to escape Federation space. You here tonight represent the senior command of all the vessels in the region. You will run this bastard down."

'He's a wanted criminal, he's committed an act of terrorism…but destroying an archive like that should've killed so many people, yet during working hours there weren't any deaths at all?' I thought to myself as I stared back at the image in front of me.

"This is a manhunt, pure and simple, so let's get to work." Admiral Marcus proclaimed before leaning back into his chair. "Earth's perimeter sensors have not detected any warp signatures leaving the system, so we know he can't be far. You will park your ships in a blockade formation then deploy search vehicles and landing parties to run down every lead. If you come across this man and fear for your life or the lives of those nearby, you are authorized to use deadly force on sight."

'If this man is so dangerous…why bomb an archive? What can he gain from that?' I thought as I tried to pay attention to what Admiral Marcus was saying, being unsuccessful as I found my eyes were continuously being drawn back to the image of John Harrison. I moved the image of the bomb site around and saw that John Harrison was putting something into a vehicle that was located near the site. 'A bag?'

"Chris?" Admiral Marcus suddenly called as I lifted my head in curiosity, looking across from me toward where Jim was seated. "Everything okay there?"

"Yes, sir. Mister Kirk is just acclimating to his new position as First Officer." Admiral Pike answered.

"You got something to say, Kirk, say it. Tomorrow's too late." Admiral Marcus stated as he lifted his glass cup to his mouth, taking a sip to rehydrate.

"I'm fine, sir." Jim said as he looked beside him to Admiral Pike. "My apologies."

"Spit it out, son. Don't be shy." Admiral Marcus urged as we continued to wait expectantly to see what Jim had been preoccupied about. Jim shook his head before giving a shrug.

"Why the archive? All that information is public record. If he really wanted to damage Starfleet," Jim paused for a moment in thought. "this could just be the beginning."

"The beginning of what, Mister Kirk?" Admiral Marcus asked.

"Sir, in the event of an attack, protocol mandates that senior command gather captains and first officers at Starfleet H.Q., right here…" Jim's voice started to trail off and while I was staring at Jim, something above his head caught my attention. "in this room…"

I immediately stood from my seat as from behind Jim I saw a red light start to descend, though from the glare of the glass I couldn't see clearly what it was. I could hear something whirring to life and just when the glare from the lights died down I saw a single ship hovering just outside the window.

"Clear the room!" Jim yelled just as the ship started to open fire, glass started to shatter all around us as many of us started to duck and cover to avoid the constant phasers being aimed into this room.

"Captain DeLuca," I called as I stuck close to the ground and made my way over to my sister, seeing that she was just a few inches away from me. I grabbed onto her, covering her with my body as the two of us crawled our way to one of the nearby pillars. "are you okay? Any injuries?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine!" Celestyn said as she kept a firm grip on my arm, she had a fire burning behind her dark brown eyes as she ducked when more glass started to shatter, the blast causing a few shards to fly and cut the side of my cheek as I held my arm further up to cover my face. "We need to get out of here!"

"No, you stay here, I have to go back out there. There's still injured officers out there, completely exposed and in the line of fire. I need to drag them to safety." I yelled to her over the firing and the fearful screams from all around us.

"Allyson, no! You always try to make other people's problems your business, and make things worse! Stay here! You'll only be in the way!" Celestyn called, gripping my arm as tightly as she could and attempted to pull me back behind the pillar she was hiding behind. I saw a hint of fear in her eyes as she continued to glare at me and when I tried to get up she immediately pulled me back down. "Commander DeLuca! You will listen to your commanding officer!"

"There are injured men and women who need help." I stated as I knelt back to her level, reached out and pried her hand off my arm. "Stay here, stay low. If you die here I'll never hear the end of it from our father! He'd hold me responsible for not protecting you enough!"

I got up and ran back out into the open, ducking, diving and avoiding the shots coming from the ship. When I came across fallen bodies, I gave them a quick look over. They were in pain, but thankfully they were breathing which was a good sign. While continuing to avoid the oncoming fire I was able to drag them into a covered area, and after dragging a few Starfleet officials out of harm's way I looked back over to the ship as I noticed something strange.

'He's aiming to injure…' I thought as I made a dash behind a pillar to avoid another phaser shot in my direction, I watched a woman fall to the ground beside me with an open burn on her leg. I reached out before recoiling, a shot had been fired just inches on where my hand would've been. I quickly grabbed onto the woman and pulled her carefully up beside me. 'is he sending another message? Or…is he looking for someone specifically?'

I heard a low grunt to my right and turned to see Admiral Pike crawling on the ground out in the open and immediately jumped back into action, almost bumping into Spock who took me to the ground just as another was fired where my leg would've stepped.

"Spock!" I yelled as he placed his arm over my head as pieces of concrete fell off one of the walls that was just shot. "Spock, we must get to Admiral Pike!"

Spock nodded his head as the two of us started to move, with Spock watching my back I raced over to Admiral Pike and saw that he was bleeding from his chest.

"Spock, help me move him!" I yelled as the two of us grabbed the Admiral from each side and carefully lifted his arms over our shoulders, taking him over to a secluded area and gently placing him into one of the chairs. "Admiral Pike? It's Commander DeLuca." There was blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as he was gasping in pain. If I didn't act fast…he could die! 'Emergency medkit…' I thought as I hopefully looked toward where the elevators were. "Spock, stay here and keep Admiral Pike conscious. I'll be right back."

'In cases of emergency, if there are no medical officers present, a kit was installed into lifts for Starfleet officers to use in order to keep a patient alive long enough to be cared for by proper medical personnel.' I concluded as I ran past Jim who was in the process of shooting the rogue ship. 'Please let it be on our floor!' When I pushed past a few of the guards I arrived just as the elevator doors opened as reinforcements joined our floor. 'Yes!'

I raced inside, inputting my access code that would grant me approval to open the casing and yanked out the emergency medkit before racing off back toward Admiral Pike and Spock.

"Admiral Pike!" I called as I skidded to a stop in front of the man, watching as Spock took his hand off the man's face. "Admiral Pike…stay with me okay?"

I placed two fingers on the side of his neck where I knew his carotid artery would be to feel for a pulse…it was faint but still there. I needed to continue working...I needed to keep focus. I opened the medkit and took out a hypo while taking out a pack of sterilized gauze pads. "Spock, apply pressure."

I heard an explosion behind me, the firing from the ship ceased, and footsteps walking up to me from behind. I had no time to check who it was, I couldn't afford to let my mind wander and as I got the hypospray prepared, from the corner of my eyes I saw Jim hesitantly walking up behind me. "I can save him Jim, I just need space to work."

Something to stop the pain…stop the blood, something to keep his heart going. The others I could get to later, their wounds weren't as fatal. Admiral Pike was the one that needed my immediate attention if I wanted to keep him alive.

"Commander DeLuca!" I heard my sister's voice yell as I heard footsteps stomping my way. "Allyson, he's a dead man, leave him. There are other matters that need our attention."

And before Jim could say anything I spoke up while continuing to tend to Admiral Pike, my hands never stopping as I addressed my sister.

"He's dead when I pronounce him dead, and right now Captain, so long as he's still breathing there's still hope on saving his life." I stubbornly said as I injected the first dose into the side of his neck to attempt to keep his heart beating steadily, to calm him down.

"Commander DeLuca!"

"There are no medical officers present, as of right now I'm the only one who is qualified in this room. I studied and had enough field experience to be able to do this. If I can get him to hold out long enough for a medical team to take over then I will do that." I nodded toward the Admiral's chest. "Continue to keep pressure, and let's hope the blood stops." I then looked back into the eyes of the man I was attending to. "Admiral Pike?"

"Allyson!"

I glared back at my sister as I prepared another hypo and turned back to look at the man. "Admiral Pike, can you hear me?" The man slowly moved to look at me though his breathing was shallow. Good…he's still responsive. "I'm not going to let you die, okay? I will not leave your side until you are in a stable condition, you keep holding on until medical officers can come and take you to a proper hospital. Can you blink your eyes twice to let me know you understand?"

Though it was a slow response, Admiral Pike's eyes blinked twice, and that was enough motivation to keep me going. So long as he was responding to me, so long as his heart kept beating even if the chances were slim, I wouldn't give up. I injected another in hopes to reduce his pain.

"The blood is stopping." Spock informed me, I nodded my head and took out a roll of gauze.

"Jim, relieve Spock." I ordered, watching as Jim and Spock carefully changed positions, the pressure never leaving the wound. "Spock, carefully lift Admiral Pike's body. I'm going to wrap this around his body…this should take over as a placeholder. Jim, don't let up no matter what, keep the same amount of pressure as Spock did."

'There's nothing in this kit to close the wound…' I thought in a panic after I finished securing the wrap around Admiral Pikes body with Spock gently laying him back on the chair. I took out the spare tricorder that was in the kit and did a quick scan over Admiral Pike's body. His vitals were low and barely stabilizing. I looked to Jim and Spock after doing all that I could. "You two stay here, keep watch over him. If his condition worsens before a medical team arrives, come and get me."

Jim nodded his head, giving me a thankful smile, but I couldn't rest just yet. There were still people back in the conference room that I knew still needed some sort of medical attention. I grabbed the kit and quickly got back to my feet, feeling slightly exhausted after the adrenaline slowly started to leave me, but I had to keep pushing forward.

"Allyson DeLuca!" My sister called to me as she stood in my way in her attempt to stop me, she placed her hands on my chest and shoved me back. "You will listen to me! These people are either dead or dying, we need to go and search for that man as per orders!"

"A man who is gone! The ship crashed to the ground! There is nothing I can do about that!" I yelled back at my sister, shoving her hands off me as I pointed back the way she came. "But what I can do is tend to the people in that room who need my help and attention!"

I was stopped a second time when I tried to walk past by my sister's firm grip on my wrist. I had had enough, while we dilly-dally and argued here, back in that room there were people who had minor injuries that I'm sure could develop into severe or possibly life threatening injuries the longer they're left unattended. I didn't have time for any of my sisters alpha ego.

"Captain DeLuca, are you injured?" I asked without turning back to look at her. "Do you have any fatal wounds that need tending to?"

"No, I don't." Celestyn growled in an attempt to get me to submit to her demands. "You need to remember your place and who you are speaking to. I am your commanding officer, Commander DeLuca."

"With all due respect Celestyn DeLuca. Right now, I am not your Commander, but a medical officer who cannot turn a blind eye to the injured. Who will not turn their back on people in need of my help." I growled back as I yanked my wrist out of her grip, turning to glare at her over my shoulder and feeling my blood boil at this useless conversation. This…pointless ordeal of her wanting me to submit and be a good little girl. Not anymore! "So...shut up and let me do my job!"

And for the first time in my 25 years of being alive my sister had finally submitted to me. Every time I had gone against the grain in the past I was constantly being put in my place by my parents, my brother, or by her. But this time she stepped away in shock and I took this opportunity to go back into the conference room to attend to the injured. Calling out for any able bodied person who wasn't injured to assist me, barking orders to those who had some form of medical training and overseeing what they were doing while simultaneously working on my own patient.

* * *

"Ally!" Leonard called the moment he burst through the doors of the hospital. He ran to my side and enveloped me in a comforting hug, almost squeezing the life out of me, but I didn't care…I needed his hug. I felt him shutter as I reciprocated the motion, holding on to him for dear life. "Oh my god, are you alright"

I buried my face into Leonard's chest as I felt complete exhaustion overtake my body. I worked until an actual medical team was able to relieve me of looking after all the people who needed attention. When I was brought to the hospital I had gotten a medical exam and when I was given the all clear I didn't want to leave…not until I knew what condition Admiral Pike was in.

I stuck around even longer to assist the doctors and nurses, my job was here and intentionally I didn't want to chance running into my sister if I walked through those doors. When everything was under control and the sun had just risen, I still didn't want to leave to go back to an empty apartment. So I called the only person I wanted to see at that very moment, the only person I wanted to comfort me: my lovely country doctor. My Mate.

"I'm alright…just exhausted." I said as I continued to desperately hold onto Leonard. "Thank you for coming for me so early in the morning."

"You don't have to thank me." Leonard said as he started to rub my back. "I would've come no matter the time. I wanted to come sooner when a sudden spike of emotions woke me up, but you weren't picking up your communicator."

"There were patients that needed my attention…" I said as I slowly pulled away though staying close to still be in his arms. "Admiral Pike…he…"

"Is he-" Leonard asked, and I shook my head. Already knowing where his train of thoughts were headed to. "No, but he's still in critical condition. They don't know when or if he'll wake up. Or even if he'll pull through the day. I-I really tried to save him, Leonard. I couldn't-"

"If he's still breathing then you did save him." Leonard cut me off. "You did all you could, and all that was in your power. I'm sure if you weren't there…he would be dead." Leonard leaned forward and down as he placed a quick kiss to my lips before pulling me back to his chest. "You did a wonderful job."

"Ahem…"

I looked toward the voice and saw my sister standing there with her hands on her hips causing me to slightly move out of Leonard's hold.

"Might I borrow Commander DeLuca for a few minutes?" My sister asked as she sized up Leonard.

"Yes, ma'am." Leonard said before looking back to me. "I'll be waiting for you outside."

The two of us watched Leonard walk away before Celestyn looked up to me. "Walk with me, we have a few things to talk about."

"Pertaining to?" I asked as I followed Celestyn to the balcony area of the hospital.

"Not as a Captain to a Commander." Celestyn assured me as we exited the hospital to get some fresh air. "Not completely professional at least."

Celestyn went over to the banister, turning back to face me as she lazily leaned back onto the railing to look up at the sky.

A few minutes passed, and I wasn't sure if she wanted me to speak...but I did it anyway. "Celestyn-"

"You know, when we were little, father and mother had these big plans for us. Planned out even before we were born…didn't matter the gender to them. Aurelius was always the perfect child meant to carry the family name, and me? I could do what I wanted to to an extent so long as I reached our parent's expectations in the end. Didn't matter how I got there so long as I followed what they wanted. I had the privilege our brother didn't have." Celestyn huffed. "When mother told us the news that she was pregnant, our parents wouldn't shut up about you. You had so much better things planned out compared to Aurelius and I, and you threw it all away. Settled on being a basic crew member instead. You, being the youngest, and doing nothing that was in your life plan was unbelievable. I thought it was insane and that you were an absolute fool to go against them. In the end I suppose I was jealous of the attention our parents gave you even before you came into existence." Celestyn looked on in boredom. "When I was told you would be transferred over to my ship I wanted to make your life a living hell. I had everything planned out, I would've worked you like a dog. In all honesty…I hated you Allyson." I watched as Celestyn shrugged. "Though I think the feeling was mutual."

"Hate is a strong word. I loathed our family." I said as I went over to stand beside her. "Always being told to keep your head down, do as you're told, and go with the flow without complaining. We were set for life…we had no reason to complain people would probably say, but I didn't want that."

"Knowing our family, and knowing what we are capable of I thought you were wasted on a mediocre crew. That you would grow weak while you were away from the family, but after what I saw last night? Verbally standing up to me for the first time, taking control in the conference room…running into danger, saving people who I would've given up on because to me...odds are they wouldn't have made it. If they got injured, it was their fault. But after observing your actions, I had to rethink my feelings and thoughts toward you." Celestyn giggled. "Must admit, for the first time I saw the fire in your eyes that every DeLuca possessed."

"The fire?" I asked curiously.

"The fire of a leader developed even without the backing of a rank or following the life plan. I had the whole night to think and I realized in the end the ranks we are given doesn't matter as much as we were told it does. Commander or Captain, Ensign or Lieutenant…you're doing fine without our parents 'guidance'." Celestyn sighed. "Here I thought you were the black sheep of the family and that you didn't belong amongst us, but I was wrong. You're a Commander with the heart and motivation of a Captain. I admit Allyson, you're far greater of an officer than I could ever be. Probably even greater than our father. I have...much to reflect on." Celestyn glanced up to me, her brown eyes full of mischief. "I suppose…it's thanks to that crew along with that man?"

"Just because we're exchanging nice words for the first time in our lives, doesn't mean I'd spill everything that's been going on in my life. We won't automatically be as close as thieves." I stated honestly. "A few nice words can't erase the past."

"True. I'm already feeling uncomfortable at the thought of being close to anyone in our family. Hence why I won't be telling father anything we talked about today, only what Admiral Marcus spoke about and the attack in the conference room." Celestyn stated and when I looked back at my sister in confusion she simply laughed. "Just because I follow what our family says, doesn't mean I'm obligated to report everything in my personal life to them! Not like Aurelius."

The two of us shared a laugh before Celestyn shook her head. "Father won't be too happy when he finds out, but it can't be helped. I wouldn't dare go against orders from Starfleet."

"Won't be happy about what?" I asked as I watched Celestyn push off the banister and walk back toward the hospital. "Wait! What time should I report to the Dauntless?"

"You're not needed or wanted on my ship. **I'm** headed back to the Dauntless, alone." Celestyn said as she turned back around to face me, a smile on her face. " **You** have been reinstated as the Second Officer back on the Enterprise. Just got the orders from Admiral Marcus just before I entered the hospital." Celestyn turned around and started to leave, lifting her hand and giving me a lazy wave before yelling back to me. "Let's hope we never meet again anytime soon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll just say this, that I went with the TOS version when it comes to Christopher Pike (I think it was S1E12 The Menagerie) xD lol and for those that don't know I will explain when we all find out what truly happened to Admiral Pike in my story. Probably won't go into detail until the end of the 'movie'.


	17. Off to Kronos?

"Come again?" Leonard asked as the two of us walked side by side into the shuttlebay inside Starfleet HQ. "Who did you say I just met?"

"My sister…" I said as I drew closer to Leonard's body, first for comfort and the second to avoid bumping in to any passing Starfleet officers.

"You're…taller than your older sister." Leonard commented with a slight chuckle as he seemed to recall what Celestyn looked like during their brief interaction. "I can see the family resemblance though, what did she want?"

"After the incident on Nibiru, Admiral Marcus had transferred me over to the Dauntless, her ship." I simply said. "Today, after what happened last night in the conference room she came to inform me that I'd been reinstated back to the Enterprise and we parted ways."

"That's all?" Leonard asked.

"Among other family matters surprisingly…I think we had a sister moment for once in our lives." I shrugged my shoulders. "She's very interesting, you can never tell if she'll be on your side or not, but she has her good moments as she displayed back at the hospital. I can never let my guard down with her though."

Leonard let out a relieved sigh before he reached out and laced his fingers with mine. "Thank god you're back on the Enterprise, don't know what I would've done if we were going off into space without you."

"Can't get rid of me that easily, sweetie." I laughed before Leonard started to tug my arm forward, silently urging me to walk faster.

"There's Jim." Leonard said, pointing toward the opposite end of us as we started to walk faster to catch up with our captain. "Jim!" The two of us met Jim halfway, and very briefly Jim smiled and sent a nod in my direction as we continued walking. "Where were you?"

"For what?" Jim asked.

"Your medical exam." Leonard said as Jim started to pick up his pace, a determined and serious glint in his eyes as he kept his sights trained in front of him. "Ten hours ago, you were in a damn firefight. Now it's my duty as ship's doctor…"

"I'm fine, Bones." Jim said gravely before Leonard let go of my hand and reached out to place his own on Jim's shoulders to stop him from advancing any further causing Jim to turn and face Leonard.

"The hell you are." Leonard whispered as Jim looked back toward the shuttle that would be taking us to the Enterprise.

"I'm fine." Jim denied as he tried to give Bones some form of reassurance before stepping away.

"I'll try to talk to him…" I assured Leonard as I reached out to squeeze Leonard's hand. "come on, time to report for duty."

As we entered our shuttlecraft I saw Spock was already seated and waiting for the rest of us to board. When Spock saw us he simply gave Leonard and I a nod of acknowledgment. Just as I was about to take the middle seat, Leonard had gently nudged me to my left as he planted himself in the seat I wanted. When I was about to ask him why, he motions toward his medical bag before glancing up at Jim and I immediately understood without him needing to say a word what he was planning.

"Status report, Mister Spock." Jim said with a grunt to catch Spock's attention.

"The Enterprise should be ready for launch by the time we arrive." Spock answered as Jim took the aisle seat, leaving an empty seat between the two. I suppose there was still a bit of tension between the two of them.

"Good." Jim said as he took out his PADD. "Good."

"Captain." Spock spoke up as from beside me Leonard took out his medical scanner and held up the detachable second piece close to Jim's eyes. "Thank you for requesting my reinstatement."

Jim gave a small smile before nodding his head. "You're welcome."

"As I am again your First Officer, it is now my duty to strongly object to our mission parameters." Spock stated.

"Of course it is." Jim said hoarsely as I watched on in admiration as Leonard continued to carry out his duty, bringing the second piece of his scanner slowly down over Jim's body.

"There is no Starfleet regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial, something you and Admiral Marcus are forgetting." Spock said. "Also, preemptively firing torpedoes at the Klingon homeworld goes against…"

"You yourself said the area's uninhabited. There's only gonna be one casualty." Jim had cut Spock off. "And in case you weren't listening, our orders have nothing to do with Starfleet regulation."

Torpedoes? Klingons? Nothing to do with Starfleet? Those words caught my attention immediately as I continued to listen to my Captain and First Officer's conversation, what exactly had I missed in my absence?

"Wait a minute. We're firing torpedoes at Klingons?" Leonard leaned forward, forgetting just for a second what he was in the middle of doing.

"Regulations aside, this action is morally wrong." Spock tried to make a point, which was true. We don't just kill a criminal without a fair trial, it's been that way for centuries.

"Regulation aside, pulling your ass out of a volcano was morally right. And I didn't win any points for that." Jim started to raise his voice and I could only look between the two with worry. Hopefully they could talk this out soon…I didn't want to be put in between them again like last year.

"Whoa, Jim, calm down." Leonard advised.

"I'm not gonna take ethics lessons from a robot!" Jim shot out an insult as Leonard quickly placed his scanner back into his bag before bringing out another of his medical equipment.

"Reverting to name-calling suggests that you are defensive and therefore find my opinion valid." Spock observed just as Leonard placed a circular object on Jim's face.

"I wasn't asking for your opinion. Bones, get that thing off my face." Jim said, instantly going from anger to irritation. I watched Leonard glare at the back of Jim's head before he decided to pack up his things.

"Captain, our mission could start a war with the Klingons and it is, by its very definition, immoral." Spock said. "Perhaps you should take the requisite time to arrive at this conclusion yourself."

"Captain Kirk." A female's voice interrupted their conversation. I looked up to where the female's voice had come from and saw a woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes smiling at Jim. "Science Officer Wallace. I've been assigned to the Enterprise by Admiral Marcus." Wallace introduced before handing over her datapad. "These are my transfer orders."

"You requested an additional science officer, Captain?" Spock asked as he looked back at Officer Wallace.

"I wish I had." Jim said as he looked over her paperwork. "Lieutenant Carol Wallace. Doctorate in applied physics…specializing in advanced weaponry…"

"Impressive credentials." Spock commented.

"Thank you." Carol said.

"But redundant now that I am back aboard the Enterprise." Spock said.

"And yet, the more the merrier." Jim smiled at Spock before looking back to Carol. "Have a seat, Doctor."

Carol smiled before taking the empty seat between Spock and Jim.

"Hello." I greeted as I leaned forward in my seat, reaching over and offering my hand to the woman. "Commander Allyson DeLuca. Welcome aboard! I'm looking forward to working with you."

"I've heard all about you Commander. I look forward to working with you too." Carol shot me one of her smile's and reached up to shake my offered hand. "I'm hoping once we bring John Harrison in we can have a one-on-one discussion on your theories of SoulMarks and SoulMates."

"Then you've come to the right person." I smiled back at her as she turned her body to face my own. "Is the reason for your curiosity connected to your own SoulMark?"

"Haven't gotten the connection yet," Carol smiled. "though I hope you'd still be able to answer a few of my questions."

"I'd be happy to discuss anything and everything about SoulMarks with you." I nodded excitedly before our pilot had called back to us. "Shuttle crew, stand by for lift-off."

"We can talk more after." I promised as I sat back into my chair and the doors of our shuttlecraft closed. I leaned over to Leonard, whispering quietly in his ear. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"

Leonard glanced back at me with a raised brow as I just gave him a cheeky grin. Without saying anything he simply took my hand, and held on for dear life as the shuttle started to move, squeezing every time the shuttle jostled to the side.

* * *

"No! I'm not signing anything! Now, get these bloody things off my ship!" I could hear Scotty yelling the moment we exited off the shuttle, and the moment Scotty saw us he called out to us. "Captain!"

"Is there a problem, Mister Scott?" Jim asked as we came to stand beside a very large torpedo.

"Aye, sir. I was just explaining to this gentleman that I cannae authorize any weapons on board this ship without knowing what's inside them." Scotty said in a huff as the man that was tailing Scotty tried once more to hand him the PADD in his hands.

"Mister Scott raises yet another point-" Spock began to speak before Jim cut him off once more and handed Spock his own PADD. "Report to the bridge."

"Captain." Spock snatched the PADD out of Jim's hands before turning to leave.

"Mister Scott, I understand your concerns, but we need these torpedoes on board." Jim said as I noticed Carol move away from our group and over to the other side of the torpedo, looking down at the weapon with interest.

"Due respect, sir, but photon torpedoes run on fuel. Now, I cannae detect the type of fuel that's in the compartments on these torpedoes because it's shielded. Now, I asked for the specifications, but he said…" Scotty threw his hand behind him, pointing his thumb at the officer to answer, and on command the officer did just that. _**"** **It's classified."**_ "It's classified. So I said, 'no specs, no signature'!"

'Strange…' I thought as I focused my attention on the torpedo in front of me, noting also how angry Scotty was getting with each second and I could understand why. Without knowing what kind of fuel was in these torpedoes, any wrong move and these things could become a danger to everyone aboard this ship if a type of reaction occurred between the core and the weapons. 'what's inside you that we can't know…'

"Captain." Sulu's voice came from the railing above us. "Flight checks complete. We're good to go, sir."

"Thank you, Mister Sulu." Jim called back.

"Yes, sir." Sulu nodded his head as he turned to leave.

"Now if you'll excuse me, sir, I have a warp core to prime." Scotty said as he turned away from us, but not before making a comment to Keenser who he saw was sitting on top of one of the dangerous torpedoes. "Get down!"

"Jim your vitals are way off." Leonard said as he tried to show Jim his readings on his datapad.

"Report to the medbay. Allyson, follow me." Jim said before going off to follow after Scotty. I sent Leonard an apologetic smile before quickly following after Jim, not at all sure why he called for me to follow instead of dismissing me like the others. "Scotty!" When we finally caught up with the angered Scotsman, Jim tried once more to convince Scotty to sign the paperwork. "I need you to approve those weapons."

"Do you know what this is, Captain?" Scotty asked as he pointed toward our ship's warp core.

"I don't have time for a lecture, Scotty." Jim sighed.

"Do you know what this is?" Scotty repeated.

"It's a warp core." Jim growled as we stopped just in front of the core.

"It's a radioactive catastrophe waiting to happen. A subtle shift in magnetic output from, say, firing one or more of six dozen torpedoes with an unknown payload could set off a chain reaction which would kill every living thing on this ship. Letting those torpedoes on board the Enterprise is the last straw!" Scotty said as he pointed back to where we'd just come from.

"What was the first straw!" Jim asked as he stared down to Scotty.

"What was the…" Scotty grunted, flabbergasted at having been asked and the more he spoke, the more his voice squeaked and pierced the louder he got. "there are plenty of straws. How about Starfleet confiscating my transwarp equation? And now some madman's using it to hop across the galaxy! Where'd you think he got it from?"

"We have our orders, Scotty!" Jim tried to point out.

"That's what scares me." Scotty finally calmed down. "This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? 'Cause I thought we were explorers."

"Sign for the torpedoes, that's an order." Jim said as evenly as possible, his emotions now leveling out. He wasn't having any of it anymore, Jim really wanted to take off on whatever mission we were supposed to go on and it broke my heart because now in his eyes…Scotty was simply standing in his way.

"Right, well, you leave me no choice but to resign my duties." Scotty stated, squaring his shoulders as he stood up to Jim.

"Oh, come on, Scotty." Jim said in disbelief.

"You don't have to do that Scotty…" I finally added in, not being able to keep quiet any longer.

"He's giving me no choice Ally…" Scotty said as he looked toward me apologetically. "I will not stand by…"

"You're not giving me much of a choice…" Jim said. "will you just make an exception and sign…"

"Do you accept my resignation or not?" Scotty raised his voice to Jim as I stepped up to our engineer, trying to deescalate the situation. "Scotty, calm down. He won't-" _**"I do!"**_

Jim's voice echoed around us and I could only look back at our captain in shock.

"I do." Jim said, almost in disbelief himself at what had come out of his mouth before he turned his eyes away. "You are relieved, Mister Scott."

Scotty and Jim could barely look at each other, but Scotty was able to look at me. He gave me a sad smile before stepping up to Jim.

"Jim, for the love of God, do not use those torpedoes." Scotty advised Jim one last time before addressing me. "Ally, you make sure he doesn't. You know how finicky our girl can get…"

Scotty as well as Keenser handed over their PADD to Jim before walking away with Keenser giving me a small wave goodbye. And when they were out of view I sighed, addressing Jim without taking my eyes away from where Scotty and Keenser had left.

"Jim-"

"I don't need anymore lectures Allyson…" Jim said as we stood alone together by the warp core. "what I do need…is someone in my corner."

"You know I'm always in your corner, Jim," I stated as I turned to look up at the warp core. "since the academy I've tried to always be on your side steering you in the right direction, but right now you need to hear what I have to say." Jim didn't respond so I decided to continue. "We've lost our Chief Engineer, and he knows this baby like the back of his hand. Scotty thinks it's a bad idea, and so do I. We, your senior officers, are here to help you come the right decisions…now I'll sign those papers, but we shouldn't use them Jim. If they pose a danger to our crew, we should put their lives first." Jim sighed as he looked at me and I smiled back in reassurance. "You said so yourself, right? If things go wrong, we make it up as we go. Together…we can find a solution to anything."

"That's not fair," Jim finally let out a genuine laugh. "you hate when people use your words against you so don't do that to me."

"It seemed like the right thing to say at this moment." I said before reaching out and giving Jim a friendly hug, feeling him instantly react by wrapping one arm around my shoulder. "I also wanted to say, thank you for getting me reinstated back to the Enterprise…"

"Of course. I'd go crazy dealing with Spock and Bones by myself." Jim said as we quickly pulled away. "How's…how's Admiral Pike?"

"Last I heard? Critical but stable…though they're not sure if he'll wake up or when." I answered. "Jim, what's this mission about?"

"We're going after John Harrison. Admiral Marcus has ordered that we take those torpedoes and fire them on Kronos, wiping out John Harrison in the process." Jim said. "These aren't orders from Starfleet, we're on our own."

"And you asked for this mission?" I asked Jim who simply nodded his head. "Then, we'll tackle this without the use of the torpedoes. Let John Harrison get a fair trial and answer for his crimes. He hasn't murdered anyone-"

"Yet…" Jim said and I couldn't help but hit him upside the head.

"Admiral Pike will survive. He's a strong man and will pull through this." I stated as Jim rubbed where I had hit him. "John Harrison hasn't murdered anyone, but he should still answer for his crimes against Starfleet."

Jim didn't say anything, looking to be contemplating his options and taking in all that was said to him before he let out a sigh through his nose.

"If Bones asks, you hugged me." Jim let out a chuckle before maneuvering around me. "Suit up Commander."

* * *

"Captain!" Nyota called out to Jim who was making his way toward the turbo lift that would take them both straight to the bridge. "I'm so sorry to hear about Admiral Pike…have you gotten any news of his condition?"

"Commander DeLuca had said that they don't know if or when he'll wake up." Jim answered as the two of them maneuvered their way through the ship.

"Are you okay?" Nyota asked with concern.

"Fine, thank you, Lieutenant." Jim responded, clearly being slightly fed up with people asking about his well being, but he didn't want or dare to take it out on Nyota who could very well put him in his place easily.

The two entered the turbo lift and just as the doors closed Jim let out a sigh.

"Actually, Scotty just quit." Jim said as he spoke through his teeth to reel in his frustration. "And your boyfriend's second-guessing me every chance he gets." Jim suddenly realized that he had just said that out loud before he shuffled nervously where he stood. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate. It's just sometimes I want to rip the bangs off his head. You know, maybe it's me. I-"

"It's not you." Nyota cut Jim off with a shake of her head as Jim had to take a second to comprehend what he just heard as he turned his head down to Nyota with a brow raised.

"It's not?" Jim asked and when Nyota didn't answer, keeping her lips sealed shut, Jim turned his body completely to Nyota as he leaned closer to the woman. "Wait, are you guys…are you guys fighting?"

Nyota rolled her eyes and turned to face Jim who's jaw seemed to drop as soon as he saw her reaction. "I'd rather not talk about it, sir. We-"

"Oh, my God! What is that even like?" Jim asked and just as the doors to the lift opened, the two turned and saw the object of their conversation standing on the other side.

Nyota composed herself, strutting out of the lift with her head held high as she gave Spock a single glance before walking past the Vulcan…clearly not on speaking terms as Spock watched his Mate walk away.

"Your ears burning?" Jim made a passing comment to Spock before going over to his chair.

"Captain on the bridge!" Chekov announced as Sulu greeted Jim as well.

Jim went over to where Chekov was seated and leaned against the chair, his other arm supporting him on the console before lowering his voice to speak to the Russian kid. "Mister Chekov. You've been shadowing Mister Scott. You are familiar with the engineering systems of this ship?"

"Affirmative, sir." Chekov nodded his head.

"Good. You're my new Chief." Jim said before patting the boy's shoulder. "Go put on a red shirt."

"Aye, Captain." Chekov said as he got up from his station and exited off the bridge, his station immediately being taken over by another who was capable of handling the navigation station.

"You know," Allyson said as soon as Jim took a seat in the captain's chair. "you could've sent me down. It's what I'm on this ship for."

"Yeah, but no one can handle your station." Jim brushed Allyson off, the two knowing full well that she's just there at the moment to keep the peace between Spock and himself. Jim wouldn't say it out loud, but he needed Allyson there as his support at the moment. "Retract all moorings, Mister Sulu."

"Yes, sir." Sulu said as he inputted the command to release the docking clamps that would allow the pilot to have full control of the ship.

"Lieutenant Uhura, open a shipwide channel." Jim ordered.

"Yes, sir." Nyota said before Jim made a call down to engineering.

"Mister Chekov, how we looking down there?" Jim asked.

 _ **"** ** _All systems nominal, Captain."_ **_"Copy that." _**" _Warp awailable at your command."_ **_"Thank you Mister Chekov."

From Jim's chair a sad whir was heard as Chekov tried to cut off communication between engineering and the bridge, and from the corner of Jim's eyes he saw Allyson smile before she assisted Chekov in ending the communication for him.

"All right. Let's ride." Jim said.

"Yes, sir." The panels on Sulu's station beeped with each button he pressed on his console and instantly Sulu had taken them into warp when they were free from the space station.

"Channel open, sir." Nyota called to Jim as the radio frequencies whirred to life, the boatswain whistle sounded, notifying all those aboard to stop what they were doing to listen for the captain to make an announcement.

"Attention crew of the Enterprise. If many of you haven't heard, the night before…Christopher Pike, former captain of this ship and our friend, had been gravely injured during the attack on Starfleet Headquarters. Though one of our Commanding Officers was there to keep him stabilized…" Jim looked sadly toward where Allyson was standing before continuing on. "we do not know whether he will wake up or not. The man responsible for putting our dear friend in such condition has fled our system and is hiding on the Klingon homeworld, somewhere he believes we are unwilling to go. We are on our way there now. Per Admiral Marcus, it is essential that our presence go undetected. Tensions between the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been high. Any provocation could lead to an all-out war." Jim took a second to think, weighing his options and being very careful on what he would say next as he looked back toward Allyson, and then finally to Spock who stared back at Jim. He came to a decision to take into consideration the advice of his senior officers. "I will personally lead a landing party to an abandoned city on the surface of Kronos where we will capture the fugitive, John Harrison, and return him to Earth so he can face judgement for his actions."

* * *

I smiled as I watched Jim carefully, happy that he decided against firing those torpedoes before getting back to work. There was something on my screen that was bothering me and I was trying to pinpoint what the problem could be. It could be my imagination, but I just wanted to be sure.

"All right. Let's go get this son of a bitch. Kirk out."

Spock had gotten up from his seat, but I paid no mind to what exactly the two were talking about. My main concern was about these odd readings I was seeing on my screen. I brought out the schematics of the Enterprise both before and after we docked at the station, frantically trying to figure out what was wrong with our ship.

'What's wrong with you girl…' I thought as I turned the schematics around, creating a three dimensional view of the two Enterprise's for comparison. 'show me what's wrong with you…'

'There!' I thought as I stopped the spinning image, magnifying the picture to see that something was coming from engineering. It took me awhile to realize what it was before clicking my tongue in irritation. Berating myself for not noticing it sooner.

'Shit!' I cursed as I abandoned my station, running frantically past Jim and Spock.

"Allyson!" Jim called out to me, but I ignored his orders to return to the bridge as I made my way down to Engineering. They hadn't spotted it yet, but if we didn't stop now our ship would become unstable and shut down along with causing more damage to the core if we kept going at warp.

"The core is overheating!" I yelled up from the railing that overlooked the warp core already seeing tiny wisps of smoke coming from some of the pipes. I ran down the stairs, skipping two at a time, before bumping into the one person I wanted to find. "Mister Chekov!"

"Commander! I don't know what happened!" Chekov started to run alongside me toward the main engineering panels. "We just started to notice that the core was overheating, we are trying to find what we think is the cause!"

"It could be a leak, everyone start looking!" I started to call out a few orders as the engineers present started to disperse. I started to fiddle with the main console, opening windows and bypassing security walls using my personal authorization code. "I'm issuing an emergency stop that will manually drop us out of warp!"

"Is that wise, Commander?" Chekov asked.

"We have no choice…" I said as I hit the confirm button on the screen in front of me.

The ship came to an abrupt halt, causing us and those that were running about to lurch violently forward. We were out of warp and the room we were in started to fill with smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! We are so very close to Ally and Khan coming face to face, so very close that I'm thinking of updating another chapter this Friday (I'm still thinking about what to do). But it's not guaranteed just yet, just a thought I had.


	18. John Harrison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I mentioned this, but in case anyone is wondering I kind of picture Allyson's height to be at least the same as Nyota's. I think it said somewhere that she's...5'6? The boys are at least 6'0+

"Engineering manually dropped us out of warp, sir." Sulu informed me as I tried to steady myself on the navigation console after being violently thrown from my chair. I groaned at the ache from the contact I had with the console before pressing the button in front of me to get into contact with engineering, quite peeved at the sudden disturbance.

"Mister Chekov, did you break my ship?" I asked as I tapped on the console impatiently.

 _ **"** **Sorry, sir. I don't know what happened."**_ Chekov responded. _**"** **The core overheated. Commander DeLuca had to actiwate the emergency stop. It must be a coolant leak. We need time to find it. Sorry, Captain."**_

"If you are by the Commander, please put her on the line." I huffed and for a second I could hear some yelling in the background, Allyson's strong voice echoing and piercing through the chaos that was going on in Engineering, getting louder the closer I assumed Chekov got to her.

 _ **"** **Commander!"**_ I heard Chekov call out. _**"The Captain wishes to speak to you!"**_

 _ **"** **Thank you Mister Chekov…"**_ I heard Allyson's voice come loud and clear through the communicator. _**"** **Everything okay on the bridge, Captain?"**_

"Ally, you ran off the bridge and the next second we're all being thrown from our chairs." I huffed. "If you were going to initiate a full stop mid warp you could've, at least, given us a heads up."

 _ **"** **Sorry Jim, the ship didn't sound right to me as soon as we went into warp…I just didn't know what it was until the core showed it beginning to overheat. I needed to act fast if I wanted to get to the engineering room in time."**_ Allyson sighed as I heard her apologize to Chekov, asking about taking his communicator with her. _**"** **It's pretty bad here Jim, the engine room is filled with smoke…we're having trouble navigating through the room without potentially running into people or pipework. I don't understand Jim, she's never done this before."**_

"Damn it. Give me a minute, stay on the line." I sighed before putting Allyson on hold to turn to address Sulu. "Mister Sulu, time to our destination."

"Twenty minutes, sir." Sulu said as he calculated an estimate from his station. "That's twenty minutes in enemy space we weren't counting on."

"Ally!" I called, getting back in touch with my TIC. "we're still twenty minutes from Kronos. Twenty minutes in enemy space. I'm going to take Spock and Uhura down to Kronos to retrieve John Harrison."

"Then I think it would be best to take the K'normian trading ship Captain." Ally suggested. "Even if the planet is rumored to be abandoned, we wouldn't want anything to trace you back to Starfleet should any Klingon's find you."

"Just as I was thinking." I nodded my head in agreement. "With Spock and myself gone, I need you on the bridge to hold down the fort."

"Even if you bring back Harrison…if the ship isn't fixed we'd still be sitting ducks. Should any Klingons engage in battle with the Enterprise we wouldn't have any way of defending ourselves or escaping if we get overwhelmed." Ally responded. "With all due respect Captain, Chekov is a smart kid, but he was only shadowing Scotty for a limited time, I think I'm more needed here than on the bridge at the moment. I'm sure Mister Sulu can take care of things up there."

I glanced briefly at Sulu with uncertainty before responding to Ally. "Make sure to get her patched up by the time we get back."

"Let's hope all she needs is a patch up." Ally mumbled and just before she cut her communicator off I heard her start yelling out more orders before her end went silent.

"Mister Sulu, you have the conn." I said to Sulu. "Once we're en route, I want you to transmit a targeted comm burst to Harrison's location. You tell him you have a bunch of real big torpedoes pointed at his head and if he doesn't play nice, you're not afraid to use them." Sulu looked a bit hesitant past me and from that look I began to worry if I should just contact Ally and order her to report to the bridge, let Chekov look for the damages to our core. "Is that a problem?"

"No, sir. I've just never sat in the chair before." Sulu stated honestly and I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"You're gonna do great." I assured him, he's gonna have to. "If you need any support or advice, feel free to bother Ally."

"Jim! Wait!" Bones softly called back to me just as I was about to leave, reaching out to turn me back to him. "You just sat that man down at a high-stakes poker game with no cards and told him to bluff. Now Sulu's a good man, but he is no captain."

'Ah…Ally. How do you put up with him and his constant metaphors.' I thought as I turned to look back at Sulu who sat in his station doing last minute preparations. "For the next two hours, he is. And enough with the metaphors, all right? That's an order." I turned to make my way off the bridge before calling back to Sulu one last time. "Mister Sulu, make sure that K'normian ship is ready to fly."

* * *

Kronos…this desolate ash filled planet supposedly inhabited by a species called Klingons. The one place those cowards in Starfleet would never dare to venture to, and even if they dared…they wouldn't be able to find me due to the magnetic fields coming from the multiple active volcanoes. I was taking shelter, huddling in one of the many caves on this planet and I was able to think back on my actions.

I had failed. Starfleet Headquarters was the one chance I had to kill Marcus in that room, and I missed! I'd need to find another way to get close to that man, but with security now at an all time high I would need to be more strategic and careful on how I go about my next plan.

'My crew…' I thought as I placed my hands on the sides of my face, gripping my hair in frustration as I stared across from me to the other end of the cave wall. 'I will avenge you I promise, and it'll all start with making that man suffer.'

And then I heard it, a single voice creating a comm burst in my general location. They haven't found me, but they know I'm here, so Starfleet had enough courage to venture into an area they dared not go. What poor souls did Marcus decide to send to their demise I wonder. This was his chance to bring about his vision, to bring about the war he always wanted.

"Attention, John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise. A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will unleash the entire payload of advanced long-range torpedoes currently locked onto your location. You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal to do so will result in your obliteration. If you test me, you will fail."

'Enterprise.' I heard that name before. The very ship that took down that advanced Romulan ship and saved planet Earth, the very ship that destroyed Vulcan and sent Marcus in my direction. 'Highly trained officers?' I scoffed, none would be enough to take me down. 'So, Marcus sent a mediocre crew to fetch me did he?' But then…a thought struck me, something this Hikaru Sulu said about advanced long-range torpedoes. 'It can't be…' I rose to my feet as I looked up to the darkened sky. 'I need to know…'

If those were indeed my torpedoes then there was that sliver of hope that my crew was still alive. I can only speculate the plan Marcus had for those torpedoes and if they weren't going to fire it, to destroy me with my own crew then I knew what I could still do to get to Marcus.

'But for now,' I thought as I grabbed for the boolean guns that I had smuggled along with me when I had escaped planet Earth. 'I need to confirm that those were indeed my torpedoes.'

* * *

"We will arrive at Harrison's location in three minutes, Captain." Spock informed me. "It is unlikely that he will come willingly. I calculate the odds of him attempting to kill us at ninety-one point six percent."

"Fantastic." I sarcastically breathed out as I concentrated on flying this ship we were in.

"Good thing you don't care about dying." Nyota made a snide remark under her breath that didn't go unheard of by me.

'I should've bought Ally along…' I sighed, already wishing my TIC was around to ease the tension that was building up between Spock and Nyota. 'what would she say to defuse the situation?' I thought for a second before shaking my head with a sigh.

"I am sorry, Lieutenant. I could not hear what you said." Spock started to speak before Nyota quickly added in.

"Oh, I didn't say anything." Nyota said before she had immediately changed her mind. "Actually, I'd be happy to speak if you're willing to listen to me."

"Guys…" I scolded as I turned my head to Spock just as he started to respond.

"Lieutenant, I would prefer to discuss this in private." _**"You'd prefer not to discuss this at all."**_ "Our current circumstances…"

"Are…are you really gonna do this right now?" I asked as I turned my head to look back at Nyota.

"What never seems to require your undivided focus…"

"Guys…" _**"** **I'm sorry, Captain, just two seconds."**_ Nyota held up her finger to silence me, and I had to wonder who exactly was the captain here?

"Okay." I sighed with a shrug of my shoulders, trying my best to block them out and just concentrate on flying. Yeah…I should've bought Ally along.

"…is us. At that volcano, you didn't give a thought to us. What it would do to me if you died, Spock. Ally told me about cases when a SoulMate would die, it would've physically killed me…Spock. I would be living day to day with an emptiness in my chest, like a hole that could never be filled. We feel more intensely about our SoulMate and you didn't feel anything. You didn't care." Nyota let her words sink in before adding one final statement. "And I'm not the only one who's upset with you. Ally, bless her she'd never tell you she was angry, someone who considers you her best friend and family is angry and the Captain is, too."

"Wha…no, no, no." I suddenly turned back in on the conversation when my name was brought into the conversation. "Don't drag me and Ally into this." I huffed before turning over to Spock. "She is right."

"Your suggestion that I do not care about dying is incorrect. A sentient being's optimal chance of maximizing their utility is a long and prosperous life." Spock started to say.

"Great." Nyota sighed.

"Not exactly a love song, Spock." I commented.

"You misunderstand. It is true I chose not to feel anything upon realizing that my own life was ending. As Admiral Pike lay close to death, I joined with his consciousness and experienced what he felt in the moment he thought he was about to die. Anger. Confusion. Loneliness. Fear. I had experienced those feelings before, multiplied exponentially on the day my planet was destroyed. Such a feeling is something I choose never to experience again." Spock stopped speaking, letting the gravity of his words settle around us as he finally expressed truly what was going on in his mind. "Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite."

Well…hopefully that settled things between the two. Now, we can concentrate on making our way to Harrison's location.

Something had hit our ship, disruptors were firing on our ship as the alarm's started to sound, our ship was being attacked but by who?

"What the hell was that?" I asked as I looked forward, concentrating on avoiding the disruptors that were firing at us.

"We are being pursued by a D-4 class Klingon vessel." Spock reported.

"I thought this sector was abandoned!" I called over the alarms.

"It must be a random patrol." Nyota concluded and I let out a string of curses in my head as I reached up for a button that was overhead.

"Hold on!"

* * *

"I don't understand…" I grumbled as I continued to search on the main level of engineering. I looked up when one of our engineers called my name from the walkway above. Reporting that nothing seemed out of place on the second floor. "search every pipe, every nook and cranny. Leave no stone unturned, we must find out what caused our core to overheat."

Something didn't seem right, we did all checks on this ship before we took it into space…everything seemed to be in working order. So what caused this? 'If only Scotty was here…'

"Commander!" Chekov's voice averted my attention in the direction his voice came from and I saw him come running up to me with a pair of goggles in his hands. "For you Commander."

"Thank you Chekov." I nodded my head in appreciation as I fixed it over my eyes. "Have you found the leak?"

"We've…we've found multiple leaks, Commander." Chekov mumbled. "We're fixing it as we speak."

'Multiple leaks…' I thought as Chekov started to lead me to one of the main leaks that was being considered as the most problematic compared to the rest. It was in one of the areas that was the hardest place to reach that I had to crouch and maneuver my way toward the pipe while taking care to avoid the steam that was escaping along with avoiding touching some of the pipes that would burn me on contact. "Mister Chekov, please pass over my tools, a handkerchief, and a pair of our Starfleet certified heat resistant gloves."

"Aye Commander." Chekov said as I saw him disappear for a few minutes before returning with my needed equipment, reaching through the pipes with great caution to hand my bag over.

"Thank you Mister Chekov, I'll work on the leaks here," I called out to Chekov. "please check on the others to see if they need assistance. We need to get this ship back in working condition before the Captain returns."

"Yes Commander." Chekov said as he started to leave, before hesitating ever so slightly and doing a double take. "Ally, please be careful."

"I will." I nodded my head as I went about finding and working on patching up the leaks. 'Why are these here? Who did this to you?'

* * *

The crew aboard the K'normian ship had initially thought they had outrun the warship, but they were gravely mistaken. They had been surrounded by three others the moment they had escaped through the little crack between some broken down machinery and were being ordered to land. If they didn't comply they would be tortured for answers and then killed when they had gotten what they wanted. The only thing they could do was comply, and Nyota volunteered to talk to the Klingons in hopes to convince them to help and allow the crew to pass.

Nyota put on a brave face as she walked off the ship to speak to the Klingons who also exited their ship, there was nothing the away team could do but wait and watch as things unfolded. There had to be at least a dozen of them that exited that one ship, and Nyota was the only one that was going to speak to them…the only one that could. They had to have faith that this could work, though Jim was fidgeting in his crouched position as he nervously kept his eyes on Nyota.

"This isn't going to work." Jim whispered to Spock as they peaked through the window and watched as Nyota walked further away from the safety of their ship.

"It is our only logical option." Spock responded, his eyes trained solely on his Mate, he wouldn't voice it, but he was greatly concerned about sending Nyota out there alone. If he had a choice, he would've kept her on board the ship with him, but the logical side of him knew that there was no other way. If they wanted to avoid a fight they had no chance of winning they had to send Nyota out to speak to the Klingons. "And if you interrupt her now, you will not only incur the wrath of the Klingons but that of Lieutenant Uhura as well."

Nyota strode up to the Klingons and from those that were gathered their captain, assumingly, pushed his way through. Their communications officer began to speak though they couldn't hear what exactly it was with her being too far away, but she seemed to catch the captain's attention.

Jim left Spock's side for a brief moment and went over to the hidden compartment by the entrance and bought out their phasers. He handed one over to Spock and then the other to the Lieutenant that was stationed beside them before going back to closely monitoring Nyota.

The captain removed the helmet that covered his face, addressing Nyota once more before going back to simply listening to what she had to say. The Klingon captain made no move, no indication of answering or even if he was listening, so it came to a great surprise when he had lashed out and grabbed Nyota by the jaw. Jim saw from where he was crouching the Klingon reach for something at his waist and just as he was about to give the order to open fire…someone had already started shooting on the unsuspecting Klingons taking them by surprise.

It didn't come from them, so where was it coming from?

While the Klingons were distracted with firing back at the mysterious shooter who had just saved Nyota's life, Nyota bent down and took the knife that was about to be used against her and stabbed the Klingon captain in the thigh. Jim and Spock jumped into action, rushing off the ship and assisting in backup as the firefight ensued around them.

One man, it was only one man that was taking down the Klingon's that had departed their ship and shockingly he had taken down one of the warbirds, shooting the engines with one of the large guns that he was carrying with one hand.

Through the dark, the constant phasers that were being shot, and the ashes, Jim couldn't tell who the mysterious stranger was. He was only concentrating at the moment on taking down any Klingons that stood in his way while trying to find the rest of his away team that got separated during the fight.

Taking cover and firing, that's all they were doing until Jim had been blindsided and taken to the ground. The struggle ensued between Jim and the Klingon until a single fire from the mysterious stranger incinerated the top half to the Klingon that had pinned him to the ground. Jim turned back toward where the stranger was before Nyota and Spock came over to Jim's side, grabbing him and dragging him away to take cover behind a large dilapidated piece of machinery but staying just in sight to see the man continue to take down dozens of Klingons.

They'd never seen that type of weaponry before, the type that could single handedly take down warships, killing two Klingons at once, and this stranger was handling the large weapons as if it weighed nothing.

The enemies were dropping like flies, and the moment the man ran out of power in one of the weapons he had dropped the heavy weapon he held in his right hand before ripping off the bottom half of his mask to reveal the man they had been searching for: John Harrison.

Harrison jumped off the platform he was standing on, shooting another Klingon mid jump before landing with ease on the ground. His movements never faltered even with the large drop, a drop that would've broken anyone's ankles if they didn't distribute the force by rolling along the ground and this man had landed right on his feet. He kept following through with his attacks, using any means necessary to take down the enemies that stood in his way. His movements were fluid and inhuman the more Jim observed and he had to wonder just who Harrison really was.

And when all the Klingons were disposed of, John Harrison took up arms once more and aimed his gun at Jim, Spock and Nyota.

"Stand down." Spock ordered as he aimed his own gun, a gun that he had gotten off the body of a dead Klingon, at John Harrison.

The man took off his hood and simply addressed the trio, not being at all concerned about the gun that was being aimed at himself. "How many torpedoes?"

"Stand down!" Spock repeated once more with force only to have Harrison fire at Spock, disarming him. He had no intent on killing them, simply to show that he was the one in charge in this situation.

"The torpedoes, the weapons you threatened me with in your message. How many are there?" Harrison reiterated, though there was a slight desperation and impatience in his voice as he waited for any one of them to speak.

"Seventy-two." Spock answered as he continued to stare at Harrison.

Harrison turned to Spock and at the mention of the number his eyes widened ever so slightly, barely noticeable through his disheveled hair before he threw his gun to the ground. "I surrender."

The man who took down dozens of Klingons, and three warbirds…surrendered to three unarmed Starfleet Officers. He could've taken them down the moment the made a move to threaten him judging by the damage he had done, so why did he surrender so easily.

Jim didn't bother to ask though, the man who fired into a room of unarmed officers, who is responsible for the condition that Admiral Pike was in, he had the man responsible right in front of him and all he could see, all he could feel was rage.

Jim steadily tried to get to his feet and began to address Harrison who stood calm and collected even after the intense shoot out he'd been through.

"On behalf of Christopher Pike, my friend, I accept your surrender." Jim said before acting on his feelings, he threw a punch at Harrison's face. Several punches actually, and with every punch each was fueled by the emotions Jim had bottled up since the beginning of their journey back into space, and Jim only got more annoyed when Harrison was showing no signs that his hits were having any effect on him. If anything, Jim was the one growing exhausted the more he wailed on the man.

He'd lost count how many times he hit the man, he'd let his emotions get the better of him…consume him that even when his body was growing tired he didn't care. He would've kept going, ignoring his body begging him to stop, if it wasn't for Nyota calling out to him. Bringing him back to the present. "Captain!"

Harrison made eye contact with Jim, turning his head to the side as he studied the man in front of him who was huffing and puffing in exhaustion. "Captain…"

Jim stared at Harrison who looked to be studying his reaction before Jim turned his back and walked past Spock.

"Cuff him."

* * *

Harrison was in custody, and the moment they stepped foot onto the Enterprise a group consisting of six security officers was waiting for them on arrival to escort Harrison to the ship's brig. And even though Harrison was in chains, Jim knew that he was still a very dangerous man after the show they had seen down on Kronos.

Walking through shuttlebay to get to the lift that would take them to the level that held the brig, the group had to walk through the engineering department and Harrison took note of his surroundings. He saw that there was smoke, too much smoke, aboard the ship and he could only assume that things were already set up for their demise. He was calculating how he could use the information he had to work in his favor. To get this…captain to listen to him, to be able to use him and his crew.

While Jim was preoccupied calling for Bones, the escort continued to lead Harrison to the lift, and just as they turned a corner Allyson, who was clearly in a rush, bumped into the wall of security officers. In her rush to report to Jim after hearing of their safe return she hadn't been paying attention or considering the possibility that the group would be walking through her area.

Allyson had fallen to the ground just in front of Harrison, and to the surprise of everyone watching the large group Harrison had knelt to the ground and offered his bound hands for support. Allyson glanced at the offered hand before her eyes traveled up to who it belonged to and even Harrison looked briefly surprised at what he had just done.

Before Allyson could blink, the officers around Harrison had aimed their gun at the man who simply stared up at the officers with a single raised brow. "I was simply offering a helping hand."

"…at ease gentlemen…" Allyson mumbled as she placed her hand into Harrison's who easily lifted her back onto her feet. Allyson was a bit taken by surprise by the force Harrison had used even with his bound hands that she almost tripped over her feet, but Harrison didn't leave her alone. He carefully watched and kept his offered hands out as Allyson used them to steady herself. "thank you…" Allyson turned to the security officers stationed around Harrison and nodded for them to continue to their destination.

The two went their separate ways, neither saying a word, but as Harrison was being shoved forward he took one final curious glance back at the woman who was fast walking away in the opposite direction. Another shove to his shoulders signaled to Harrison that the group around him was becoming impatient, wanting him to face forward and keep moving.

Allyson didn't know why, she was in a rush to report to Jim, but something compelled her to slow her pace and turn around. Just as Harrison had turned back around to continue being escorted to his cell Allyson had turned back around at that second to watch Harrison being taken away. She could feel the danger that radiated around him, but in that moment she felt that aura vanish. He had offered her his help when it was her fault that she had bumped into their group. 'John Harrison…who exactly are you?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! I just couldn't wait until next week to post another chapter for Allyson and Khan to finally meet even if it's brief (for now). I've been really excited writing all the chapters I have in my documents that it makes me giddy and anxious cause I wanna post them so badly, but I still gotta do some revisions haha. I'm hoping to post another chapter next week as well =3 cross my fingers.


	19. More Questions than Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! This was supposed to go up yesterday, but my internet for some reason stopped working so I just went to sleep haha. I'll be going to my bfs house for a few days, so I wanted to get this out today before I leave. So if there are any major mistakes, I will get to them as soon as I return. Though I hope I got most of the mistakes corrected.

"Why the hell did he surrender?" Leonard asked as him, Jim and Spock made their way to the brig where Harrison was being kept.

"I don't know." Jim responded. "But he just took out a squad of Klingons single-handedly. I want to know how."

"Sounds like we have a superman on board." Leonard commented under his breath.

"You tell me." Jim mumbled just as they got closer to Harrison's holding cell.

Harrison was slowly pacing in his cell when the trio came into the brig, his blue-green eyes turned to train solely on the trio to see what they would do next.

Leonard was the first to approach, he reached for the circular device that was located on the holding cell to activate it causing a small opening just big enough for Harrison's arm to come through. "Put your arm through the hole. I'm gonna take a blood sample."

Harrison leisurely complied, stepping down from the platform inside his cell and walked toward the barrier that was keeping him inside his cell. Harrison stared at Leonard with indifference, the two being close to the same height before he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm and stuck it through for Leonard to take the needed sample. While Leonard went about his work, Harrison started to address Jim.

"Why aren't we moving, Captain?" Harrison spoke, his voice even as he watched his blood being extracted before turning his steel eyes onto Jim. "An unexpected malfunction, perhaps in your warp core conveniently stranding you on the edge of Klingon space?"

"How the hell do you know that?" Leonard asked, walking right into Harrison's little game.

"Bones." Jim warned his friend.

"I think you'd find my insight valuable, Captain." Harrison stated as Leonard finished his work, allowing Harrison to retract his arm for Leonard to close the device.

"We good?" Jim asked as he continued to ignore Harrison.

"Yeah." Leonard said as the trio turned to leave.

"Let me know what you find." Jim said as they went their separate ways.

"Ignore me and you will get everyone on this ship killed." Harrison gave one final warning causing Jim and Spock to stop in their tracks. Spock was the only one that even spared a glance in Harrison's direction before leaning close to speak to Jim.

"Captain, I believe he will only attempt to manipulate you." Spock advised. "I would not recommend engaging the prisoner further."

"Give me a minute." Jim told Spock who nodded his head hesitantly as he left Jim's side.

Jim strode back over to Harrison's holding cell, seething in anger as he confronted Harrison. "Let me explain what's happening here. You are a criminal. I watched you open fire on a room of unarmed men and women, you've injured many during your little stunt in the Kelvin Memorial Archive. You declared war on Starfleet and I was authorized to end you! And the only reason you are still alive is because I am allowing it. So shut your mouth."

Harrison clicked his tongue, unbothered by Jim's growing rage or threat as he continued to taunt the Captain more, his voice slow and even, vibrating dangerously as he spoke. "Oh, Captain, are you going to punch me again over and over till your arm weakens? Clearly you want to so, tell me, why did you allow me to live?"

"We all make mistakes." Jim countered causing Harrison to smirk.

"No. I surrendered to you because, despite your attempt to convince me otherwise, you seem to have a conscience, Mister Kirk." Harrison scoffed. "If you did not, then it would be impossible for me to convince you of the truth. (Two, three)-(one, seven)-(four, six)-one…one. Coordinates not far from Earth." Harrison breathed in as he continued to stare Jim down. "If you want to know why I did what I did, go and take a look."

"Give me one reason why I should listen to you." Jim glared at Harrison.

"I can give you seventy-two. And they're onboard your ship, Captain." Harrison quickly answered. "They have been all along. I suggest you open one up."

Jim gave it a thought, though he didn't want to listen to the criminal that was standing in front of him…he can't say that they weren't curious. Why had he surrendered after hearing about the torpedoes? What was at the coordinates Harrison had given him? Jim turned to leave, but not before making a call to someone down in engineering.

"Ally, meet me on the bridge." Jim whispered before an exasperated yelp came through from the other end.

"Jim, there's still work that needs to be done down here!" Allyson's voice came through before a hiss of air escaped through her teeth.

"Chekov can take care of things while you're gone…" Jim gave the alternative as he took another glance behind him back at Harrison. "we may have other pressing matters that need our attention."

There was a moment of silence before Allyson's voice came through. "Understood. I'll be right there, Captain."

* * *

"Captain." I announced my presence as I stepped onto the bridge, already seeing Spock and Leonard standing beside Jim.

"Ally, nice of you to join us." Jim smiled. "How's the ship doing?"

"Leaks, multiple ones. We're trying our best to repair them as we speak." I reported as I hid my left arm behind my back. "I think we've mostly got them all covered, but they're simply patch up jobs. It's not a permanent fix so I advise that we be very careful and strategic when we start moving again."

"You alright? I heard you yelp when you answered your communicator." Jim asked and I simply nodded my head as I went to stand between Leonard and Spock, the first smiling the moment I came to his side.

"Just bumped my head, your call surprised me." I shook off his concern. "So, why was I needed for this meeting?"

"I talked to Harrison, he gave me coordinates along with a reason I should trust him. The reason being those seventy-two torpedoes we have sitting in weapons bay. He suggested we open one up to find out what's inside." Jim said.

"Opening torpedoes of unknown origin? On our ship?" I looked at Jim like he had lost his mind. "She's already damaged as is and you want to cause more damage and possibly kill us in the process?"

"Are you out of your corn-fed mind?" Leonard hissed. "You're not actually going to listen to this guy? He injured several Starfleet officers, he is capable of killing people with his bare hands and he has no conscience about taking innocent lives in the process. Now you think it's a good idea to pop open a torpedo because he dared you to."

"Why did he save our lives, Bones?" Jim questioned.

"The Doctor does have a point, Captain." Spock said as he glanced over my head to Leonard who only scoffed.

"Don't agree with me, Spock. It makes me very uncomfortable." Leonard stated as he walked closer to the viewscreen.

"Perhaps you too should learn to govern your emotions, Doctor." Spock commented. "In this situation, logic dictates…"

"Logic?" Leonard scoffed as he turned back around. "Oh, my God! There's a maniac trying to make us blow up our own damn ship and you're talking-"

"That's not it." Jim yelled over Leonard's voice as he urged the flustered doctor to quiet down. "I don't know why he surrendered, but that's not it."

"I don't know what went on in my absence…" I decided to speak up, still being completely lost about the situation and what transpired down on Kronos along with in the brig. "though illogical…I think we should open those torpedoes." Before Leonard could say anything against me I kept on talking. "You said he surrendered after inquiring about how many torpedoes we have aboard our ship. He could've taken you down easily and escaped, yet he surrendered peacefully and I think…if we want answers then it has something to do with whatever is inside those torpedoes if he's telling you to open them in order for us to trust him."

"On our ship?" Leonard asked me as he came right back to my side.

"We could find someplace safe?" I thought over our options.

"Always knew I could count on you to back me up." Jim gave me a slap on the back before humming in thought as he walked away. "We open the torpedo…the question is how."

"But, Jim, without Mister Scott on board, who exactly is qualified to just pop open a four-ton stick of dynamite?" Leonard asked.

"Well…I-" But before I could continue, Leonard had placed his hand over my mouth.

"Not you." Leonard shot me down. "You're good darlin', but I'm not sending you anywhere to tinker with something that'll go off and kill you."

"The Admiral's daughter appeared to have interest in the torpedoes and she is a weapons specialist." Spock interrupted. "Perhaps she could be of some use."

"What Admiral's daughter?" Jim turned to Spock at his incredulous statement.

"Carol Marcus. Your new science officer concealed her identity to board the ship." Spock answered as the corner of his mouth turned up in a smug smirk.

"Wh-when were you going to tell me that?" Jim asked in confusion.

"When it became relevant. As it just did." Spock stated before Jim rushed off the bridge.

"Well, I'll be damn…" Leonard chuckled as he took his hand off his mouth. "Carol Marcus."

"You know her?" I asked Leonard curiously.

"I know the name, again with that last name I didn't think it would be that Marcus." Leonard said before he leaned down and whispered into my ear. "We're gonna finally get our revenge on Jim for teasing us about our Marks."

It took me a while to catch on to what Leonard was implying, and when I finally put two and two together my mouth dropped. "You're joking! Where?"

"Back side, just on his hip." Leonard chuckled. "Jim never bothered to look, didn't have a need to look."

"Revenge will be so sweet." I giggled before Leonard gave a quick kiss to the side of my head.

"Go easy on him, he'll have trouble coming to terms with finally settling down." Leonard advised before his eyes landed on my arm that I kept hidden behind my back. "Ally, what did you do?"

"This?" I asked as I lifted my left arm. "Just a slight burn, I assure you I'm okay. I patched it up just before coming to the bridge."

* * *

"So, it's safe for Leonard to open the torpedoes, but not me!" I argued as I walked alongside Jim as we made our way back to his chair on the bridge.

"I know you're angry Ally, but Doctor Marcus is a weapons specialist and she needed the steadiest hands on our ship which just so happens to be your Mate." Jim reasoned as he gave me a reassuring smile. "And, Doctor Marcus assured me that she will be on her best behavior."

"I'm more concerned about their safety than Carol's behavior…" I grumbled, not at all threatened by the thought of the two being alone on a deserted planet knowing full well that Carol already had her Mate who was sitting in the captain's chair. Assuming that what Leonard said was true that Jim had Carol's name of course and vice versa. "If he dies on that planet Jim, I will kill you."

"I know you will." Jim smiled before he took a seat in his captain's chair. "Bones, thanks for helping out. Doctor Marcus asked for the steadiest hands on the ship."

 _ **"** **You know, when I dreamt about being stuck on a deserted planet with a gorgeous woman, there was no torpedo!"**_ Leonard's voice responded.

"Doctor McCoy, need I remind you we have Allyson on the bridge." Jim reminded Leonard as he glanced up at me and I could only glare back down at him.

 _ **"** **Fine, I'll reiterate."**_ Leonard grunted. _**"** **When I dreamt about being stuck on a deserted planet with my gorgeous Mate,**_ _ **Allyson DeLuca**_ _ **, there was no torpedo!"**_

'Cheeky flirt…' I scoffed, though I couldn't help but blush when I saw some of the crew on the bridge turn to smile in my direction.

_**"** **So how can these legendary hands help you, Doctor Marcus?"** _

"Bones…" Jim sighed as we waited patiently for Carol and Leonard to get into position.

 _ **"** **Sweetheart, I once performed an emergency C-section on a pregnant Gorn. Octuplets. And let me tell you, those little bastards bite."**_ Leonard, through his communicator, let out a groan. _**"** **I think I can work some magic on your missile."**_

I could only chuckle, though Jim seemed to look on with concern as he shook his head when Sulu turned back to Jim who was also trying to hold in his laughter at Leonard's terrible lines.

 _ **"** **Doctor McCoy, there's a bundle of fiber optic cables against the inner casing. You'll need to cut the twenty-third wire down. Whatever you do, do not touch anything else. Do you understand?"**_ Carol's voice came through from Leonard's communicator.

 _ **"** **Right. The thought never crossed my mind."**_ Leonard responded.

 _ **"** **Doctor McCoy, wait for my word."**_ Carol said as we watched on our viewscreen, monitoring the situation going on on the planetoid. Without me noticing, Nyota had come to stand by my side and looped her arm with mine, giving it a comforting squeeze. I copied her response, though mine was one of gratitude, as I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen. _ **"** **I'm rerouting the detonation processor."**_

"I don't like this…" I whispered to Nyota who only offered her support in the form of silence and constant contact, reciprocating what I had done for her when Spock had been in danger.

 _ **"** **Are you ready?"**_ Carol asked.

 _ **"** **And raring."**_ Leonard agreed.

_**"** **Good luck."** _

In that very second my heart had dropped at hearing the painful yell that came through the communicator as the torpedo started to flash red.

"Sir, the torpedo just armed itself." Sulu read the readings on his screen as at the top of our viewscreen a countdown had begun.

"The warhead's gonna detonate in thirty seconds, sir!" Darwin, the woman who had taken over Chekov's station, informed us.

 _ **"** **God what the hell happened? I can't get my arm out!"**_ Leonard's panicked voice called through the intercom on Jim's chair.

"Target their signal. Beam them back right now." Jim ordered Spock.

"Transporter cannot differentiate between Doctor McCoy and the torpedo." Spock responded as I heard his voice get closer from behind Nyota and me. "We cannot beam back one without the other."

"Doctor Marcus, can you disarm it?" Jim asked, keeping a cool and leveled presence during this dire situation, something that I was not capable of at the moment as I turned my face away from the screen and lay my forehead on Nyota's shoulder, feeling a sudden panic build up in the back of my mind. I felt terrible because I knew where it was coming from, and it only doubled my own emotions.

 _ **"** **I'm trying. I'm trying."**_ Carol said, a slight panic underlining her words.

 _ **"** **Jim, get her the hell out of here!"**_ At the sound of Leonard's voice…I bit my lip hard. The metallic taste in my mouth indicating to me that I had bit through skin and I squeezed my eyes shut as my chest tightened.

_**"** **No! If you beam me back, he dies! Just let me do it!"** _

Leonard started to count down, and I didn't want to hear it!

"Standing by to transport Doctor Marcus on your command, sir." I heard Sulu say.

_**"** **Shit!"** _

I waited for the call, waited for the expected explosion…but nothing came. First thing my mind started to register was that Nyota was patting my arm.

"It's okay…" Nyota cooed. "the torpedo was deactivated…Doctor McCoy is fine. Look."

And I did look, the torpedo was indeed deactivated with two seconds left to spare, and in replacement of dread and panic…fury took over as I pivoted on my heels and stomped off the bridge.

* * *

"What have we got?" Jim asked as he entered Leonard's medbay.

"It's quite clever actually. This fuel container's been removed from the torpedo and retrofitted to hide this cryotube." Carol answered as she was in the process of taking apart the outer shell of the torpedo.

"Is he alive?" Jim asked as he motioned toward the man still in the cryotube that was lying peacefully on one of the medbeds.

"He's alive. But if we try to revive him without the proper sequencing, it could kill him." Leonard said. "This technology's beyond me."

"How advanced, Doctor?" Spock inquired.

"It's not advanced. That cryotube is ancient." Carol answered Spock in passing.

"We haven't needed to freeze anyone since we developed warp capability, which explains the most interesting thing about our friend here." Leonard said as he looked down at the sleeping man. "He's three hundred years old."

"I say it's time we get some answers…" Jim said as he shared a look with Spock. Though just before Jim left he turned back to Leonard to issue a slight warning. "I suggest you go and see if Ally is okay. She had a bit of an episode back on the bridge."

"Is she alright?" Leonard asked.

"With the potential death looming over her Mate." Spock pipped in. "I'd think not."

"I'll go find her." Leonard said, though before he could leave his station, Allyson came walking into his medbay.

"John Harrison doesn't exist." Allyson stated, her expression void and professional as she came to stand beside Jim. "I was curious, and needed something to distract me. Until a year ago he didn't exist. I suggest you go and have a talk with whoever we have held inside the brig."

Jim nodded his head before he motioned for Spock to follow, leaving Leonard and Allyson to work out what had happened just a few moments ago.

"Doctor Marcus," Allyson was the first to speak as she commanded the blonde woman's attention. "I want to thank you, truly, for saving Doctor McCoy's life. I don't know what would've happened or what I would've done if he didn't come back to this ship."

"There's no need to thank me, Commander DeLuca." Carol smiled before Allyson shook her head, needing the woman standing in front of her to understand how series she was being about saving Leonard's life.

"There is, what you did may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me it was." Allyson said before she motioned her head to Leonard. "If you don't mind, I would like to borrow the good doctor for a minute."

Carol agreed as Leonard nodded his head before he motioned for one of his underlings to take over for him to assist Carol as he escorted Allyson into his office.

* * *

"Allyson…"

"I should slap you right now…" I grounded my teeth as I went over to his desk, hopping up to sit on it. "I want to slap you right now…"

"I know-"

"No, you don't know!" I growled at Leonard. "In that moment I felt your fear Leonard, I felt how helpless you felt and your panic." I squeezed my eyes shut. "I thought…I thought I was going to lose you. I thought you were going to die."

"Can't get rid of this old fossil that easily I'm afraid." Leonard said before he came to stand in front of me, his body bumping into my knees as he placed his hands on top of them. "Will slapping me make you feel better?"

"…no…" I mumbled, still intentionally ignoring Leonard as he tried to bend down to get into my line of vision.

"Allyson, look." Leonard reached out for my hands, being very careful to avoid the bandages that were on my left hand as he placed them on his cheeks. "I'm here, I'm safe and alive. See?"

I responded, caressing his cheeks between my hands as I looked into his hazel eyes. Leonard nuzzled his face into my hands and when I saw a sliver of a smile grace his lips I immediately pinched his cheeks...hard.

"Ow!" Leonard grumbled as he reached up and nursed his wounded cheeks before giving me a cheeky smile. "Do you feel better now?"

"Not yet," I glared. "close your eyes."

"Now, Allyson, don't damage the goods." Leonard joked as he moved slightly back to avoid my hands.

"Just close your eyes and come closer!" I couldn't help but laugh. "Even if I do some damage, who are you trying to impress anyway?"

"There's the smile that I love." Leonard said before doing as I had asked him. "And for your information, I'm impressing no one, but you."

"Keep them closed." I lightly warned and Leonard could only hum in agreement.

I placed my hands back on his cheeks before leaning over and placing my lips over his own.

Still being inexperienced, I felt a bit insecure with being the first to instigate such an action, but after the torpedo incident? My nerves were shot at having almost lost Leonard that I needed more reassurance that he was okay. Leonard responded back instantly, and I could feel him smiling into the kiss.

I pulled away and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close before letting out a sigh of relief. Leonard reciprocated the hug, wrapping his arms completely around my midsection and moving in closer.

"Don't you dare do that again…" My voice was muffled as I nuzzled into the side of his neck.

"I promise." Leonard said before we were interrupted by Jim running into Leonard's office, the doctor letting out a groan at having our moment ruined once again by Jim.

"Ally, sorry." Jim apologized in slight embarrassment. "I was hoping you'd join us on the way to the brig."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so close! So very very close! Khan and Ally will finally come face to face finally! Preview title for the next chapter: Interrogation and Confrontation. Shall see you all in the next chapter!


	20. Interrogation and Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So, I'm in a very dark place haha I've gotten a Switch and have been playing Animal Crossing nonstop lol it's just so addicting that I keep getting sidetracked when writing. Anyway! Thank you all you lovely readers for all the love and support you've given my story!

"Why is there a man in that torpedo?" Jim asked 'Harrison' who was sitting and waiting patiently on the bed that was placed inside his cell.

"There are men and women in all those torpedoes, Captain. I put them there." 'Harrison' responded as I moved over to stand beside Spock.

"Who the hell are you?" Jim asked 'Harrison' who suddenly looked to have receded back into his mind, lost in his thoughts as he contemplated how to phrase the words that would come out of his mouth in a dignified manner.

"A remnant of a time long past. Genetically engineered to be superior so as to lead others to a peace in a world at war. But we were condemned as criminals, forced into exile. For centuries we slept," 'Harrison' turned his head to look at me before his eyes fell on Spock. "hoping when we awoke, things would be different. But as a result of the destruction of Vulcan, your Starfleet began to aggressively search distant quadrants of space. My ship was found adrift." 'Harrison' then turned his eyes back onto Jim. "I alone was revived."

"We looked up 'John Harrison.' Until a year ago, he didn't exist." Jim stated before he was immediately cut off as the man in the cell stood up and walked up to the barrier that separated us from him.

"John Harrison was a fiction created the moment I was awoken by your Admiral Marcus to help him advance his cause. A smokescreen to conceal my true identity." 'Harrison' glared at Jim. "My name…is Khan."

'Khan…' I suddenly froze in my spot, my right hand moving to grip my left wrist. 'it can't possibly be…'

"Why would a Starfleet Admiral ask a three hundred year old frozen man for help?" Jim asked.

"Because I am…better." The man who we now knew as Khan retorted.

"At what?" Jim continued his questioning.

"Everything." Khan began to move away from the barrier. "Alexander Marcus needed to respond to an uncivilized threat in a civilized time and for that he needed a warrior's mind, my mind," Khan began to circle his cell, his head swiveled as he now turned to look over his shoulder back at Spock. "to design weapons and warships."

"You are suggesting the Admiral violated every regulation he vowed to uphold simply because he wanted to exploit your intellect." I heard Spock state, clearly questioning the absurdity of Khan's statement, only for Khan to take a threatening step in our direction.

"He wanted to exploit my savagery." Khan stated before he squinted his eyes at Spock. "Intellect alone is useless in a fight, Mister Spock. You…" There was a small upturn of his lips as he continued his speech. "you can't even break a rule. How would you be expected to break bone?"

He was like an animal in his cage, pacing…staring, carefully studying us to see what we would do next, we couldn't trust him…but there was something in his words that caused me to falter. Why would he lie to us? What were his true intentions?

"Marcus used me to design weapons. To help him realize his vision of a militarized Starfleet. He sent you to use those weapons. To fire my torpedoes on an unsuspecting planet. And then he purposely crippled your ship in enemy space leading to one inevitable outcome. The Klingons would come searching for whomever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escape. Marcus…" Khan pointed out the obvious outcome that would come from all of this. "would finally have the war he talked about. The war he always wanted."

"No." Jim whispered in disbelief with a shake of his head as he moved over to stand beside me. "No. I watched you open fire in a room full of unarmed Starfleet officers. You were hell bent on killing them in cold blood!"

"But I didn't, did I?" Khan growled at Jim as he turned his back on the words Jim was sprouting. "My main concern, my main target has always been Marcus."

"There are people back on Earth who are gravely injured, possibly already dead because of you!" Jim retaliated. "If that is the case then you are a murderer!"

"That man took my crew from me. Used my friends to control me." Khan was breathing heavily, I took note that there was truth to what he spoke…he was greatly concerned about his crew, the very crew that we had aboard our ship. "I tried to smuggle them to safety by concealing them in the very weapons I had designed," Khan had paused. I couldn't see exactly what he was feeling at that very moment, but I could hear a moment of weakness in his voice. I knew I needed to speak to Jim and Spock immediately before anything else happened. "but I was discovered. I had no choice but to escape alone. And when I did, I had every reason to suspect that Marcus had killed every single one of the people I hold most dear." Khan gave another pause, lost in his own world, consumed by his emotions before he turned his head slightly to the side. "So I responded in kind." I watched as he took a deep breath before continuing on, turning back to face us and I saw the faintest trail of a stray tear that had escaped from the corner of his eye. "My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"

"Captain…" I whispered after a few minutes of silence settled among us, the weight of Khan's words weighing heavily on our minds, but I couldn't wait any longer...I needed to speak to Jim urgently. "I need to speak to both you and Spock. Immediately."

Jim looked down to me, glancing back to Khan briefly before nodding his head and turned to leave, myself and Spock following Jim close behind and when we were a fair distance away I knew I needed to come clean about the second name on my left wrist.

"Jim, if what Khan is saying is true, if Admiral Marcus is behind our ship being crippled in enemy space then we are just collateral. A means to start something that we could avoid. We may not be able to trust him, but I have a feeling we may need his help." I pointed out. "I'm asking that you allow me to speak to him."

"Are you insane! Did you breath in too much of the engine's fumes?" Jim harshly whispered back. "No, I'm not letting you anywhere near that man."

"Captain," Spock began to speak before Jim shook his head, cutting Spock off instantly.

"No, what would Bones say?" Jim asked with concern. "He's dangerous Ally, I watched him take down a squad of Klingons without breaking a sweat! We don't know what else he's capable of!"

"And I'm the only one that could try and find out." I argued back.

"What are you talking about?" Jim squinted his eyes in confusion as he continued to stare me down. I had opened my mouth to speak, but in that moment nothing would come out. It was as if my voice had decided to fail me, I recognized that it always did when I would talk about my Marks. Even if we were close friends, I knew that I was afraid of what Jim would say in response to being told such news.

"Allyson was born with a second Mark." Spock answered for me, knowing full well how scared I was to reveal such a secret due to what happened in my childhood days.

"What does that have to do with…" Jim's voice trailed off before he turned back to face me. His eyes widened as his mouth dropped ever so slightly at putting the pieces together. "you're joking."

I reached out to lift both of my sleeves to show Jim my Marks, clear as day there was Khan's name staring back at us along with Leonard's nickname. "Let me speak to him, Jim. Enemy of my enemy is my friend…right? Let me try to get him to help us get out of this mess alive."

"No…no Ally I can't." Jim shook his head before he reached out to lower my sleeves. "Bones would kill me."

"Leonard knows of my second Mark, he just doesn't know that 'John Harrison' is Khan." I stated. "SoulMates have great influence on each other, if I can get him to help us…maybe I can help him with something that I'm sure is bothering him."

"Then he'll see you as a threat, you think someone like him will just willingly accept what you ask him? Willingly go along with your plan?" Jim asked before looking to Spock expectantly. "Feel free to say something!"

"Khan may attempt to manipulate us, but against a SoulMate…the possibility of Allyson manipulating Khan is plausible. It would be a game of cat and mouse between the two. And I believe…Allyson can accomplish something that we can't." Spock stated as Jim let out a groan in annoyance.

"For once, can't you be on my side?" Jim grumbled before I added one last say to the argument.

"If I word it right, talk to him as sincerely as possible, he may comply…but we wouldn't know unless we try." I argued.

Jim looked back and forth between me and the direction we had come from before sighing. "Fine…I'll have some security officers stationed-"

"Let me go in alone." I stated firmly. "Just…trust me."

"Allow Allyson to try." Spock added in and I nodded my head in thanks.

Jim looked conflicted before he ruffled his hair in irritation, letting out a frustrated growl at being ganged up by both Spock and myself. "…fine…"

* * *

"Lieutenant," I addressed the two that were stationed in the brig. "could you two leave us for a few minutes?"

"I'm sorry Commander, we can't-"

"Captain's orders." I stated firmly. "You can ask him yourself if you'd like. He's just outside."

I watched as the two silently debated with themselves on whether they should leave or not before coming to a quick decision, thankfully. They got up from their stations and left me alone in the brig with Khan.

"Hello…" I spoke up as I walked up to the barrier, getting as close as I could without touching the invisible glass that was between us. "I'm this ship's Second Officer."

The man didn't reply, he simply continued to face the wall across from him. Though, from the corner of his eyes, his steel blue orbs watched every movement I made and I could feel my nerves start to get the best of me. I had to calculate my next words carefully, just enough to peak his interest and gain a bit of his trust just so he would give me a moment of his time to hear me out.

"If you don't mind I would like to ask you a few questions-" I spoke up before Khan interrupted me.

"We met before, you were in engineering…yet why are you needed here?" Khan asked as he turned his head to completely look at me. "What do you do on this ship?"

"I go everywhere on this ship, whatever needs my attention that's where you'll find me." I said plainly. "Navigation, piloting, engineering…medbay. Anything you can think of, I can do."

"Are you here to nitpick how my mind works, Commander?" Khan asked as he tilted his head to the side, his expression blank and unbothered, as he briefly glanced at the ranking on the sleeve of my uniform. And it worried me that I couldn't tell what exactly was going through his mind at this very moment. "Why would Kirk send you to speak to me."

"He didn't send me, I requested to speak to you." I said, being as honest as I could be in hopes that he could feel that he could be honest with me.

"Why?" Khan asked.

"Curiosity, and because I think I can give you something that I think you've been wondering about since you were awoken a year ago." I tested the waters and for a split second, gone as quickly as it came, I saw something flash in Khan's eyes. Something was indeed bothering him that he couldn't comprehend, so I decided to push my luck, be bold and continue forward. "Answer my question, and I can answer yours."

"And what…makes you think that I have questions that need to be answered." Khan scoffed as he gracefully got to his feet. "And if there was something that was bothering me, Commander, why would I even consider consulting with you about my worries and woes."

"A feeling." I said. "You had the means and capabilities to kill those people inside the Kelvin Memorial Archive, yet you didn't. I was there, inside the Daystrom Conference room I took notice that you weren't shooting to kill, just to injure. If I were to go off against what you had spoken about with Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, you were only aiming for Admiral Marcus. My question, why allow so many to live when killing them would've been an even greater declaration of war."

"Their lives were insignificant, and weren't worth my time or energy." Khan stated as I saw his hands clench at his side. "I only wanted Marcus. I wanted him to know that no matter where he goes…I will always be right behind him hunting him down."

"No life is insignificant." I said as Khan came closer to the barrier between us. "No one is labeled a war criminal for no reason, three hundred years ago you did something to be condemned for…you must've been able to take lives so easily in the past, yet when Captain Kirk accused you of murder you seemed bothered by such an accusation."

"Because I know that I didn't, as I said…killing them wasn't worth my time or energy. I wanted Marcus." Khan looked on in boredom as he suddenly turned his back to me.

"Or it could've been something more." I called to his retreating form causing him to stagger ever so slightly. "Tell me Khan, have you been experiencing an itch in the back of your mind? Something that…you couldn't really explain with logic? Drastic changes in emotions that you know for a fact isn't coming from you?"

"And how would you know that?" Khan asked as he turned his head to look back at me over his shoulder, I knew that I had caught his interest. His gravelly voice sent a vibration coursing throughout my body even with the barrier that stood between us.

"I didn't, but you confirmed it." And that seemed to have pushed him over the edge. His sharp eyes were wild, a fire ignited at my statement and I knew I had either blown our chances or I needed to tread very carefully in what I said next. "Do you know what I mainly studied after I graduated from the academy, Khan?" The man didn't answer, simply stared with his jaw clenched as I laced my hands behind my back. "SoulMarks along with its effects on SoulMates. Tell me Khan, three hundred years ago when you were born…were you born without a SoulMark?"

There…the first sign of some sort of emotion that he physically showed in front of me. His lips had twitched as he continued to frown, his eyes glared back at me and I knew I hit the nail right on the head.

"Judging off your reaction, I'm going to guess yes, but when Admiral Marcus woke you up you realized for the first time that there was a name that appeared somewhere on your body. Am I right?" Before I could say anymore, Khan had advanced toward me, slamming his fist against the invisible barrier. Not at all bothered by the electricity that was coursing through him caused by the barrier, threatening him to back away.

"I grow tired of these games you're trying to play." Khan growled. "Do not…test me, Commander. You will find that you will not win." Khan pushed off the barrier, turning his back to me as he walked back to his bed signaling the end of our conversation, but I was far from finished with him.

"SoulMarks are a weakness in your eyes, am I wrong?" I continued to speak, even if the man had decided to ignore me, I wasn't going to back down from him. "You're changing because of the influence of your Mark, Khan. Emotions you've never felt, decisions you would never have made, questioning for the first time your convictions and what you stood for, recalling the actions of your past...if what you did is morally right or wrong."

"SoulMarks are a weakness." Khan seethed before taking a deep breath to reign in his emotions. "I grow tired of our conversations, Commander. You're beginning to bore me."

"But I'm not, am I?" I questioned. "I've piqued your curiosity, for you see I am someone who can offer you answers, someone who can offer you your freedom from this emotional turbulence. Because you seem like the type, Khan, who doesn't like not knowing things." I observed. "For once, you have developed a conscience. You're beginning to value human life, maybe you don't see us at the same level as you, but you were bothered for once about taking innocent lives. Bothered about being called a murder, you're reflecting on your actions."

"And what do you know about my newly developed conscience?" Khan asked as he glanced back in my direction.

"Because I could never take innocent lives, because I value the lives of people around me." I said only for Khan to furrow his brow in confusion, not understanding what I was implying. I reached over to the circular device and enlarged it enough to allow my arm to go through.

"I've already gotten my blood taken by your ship's doctor, Commander." Khan stated.

"It's not for you…" I responded as I rolled up the sleeve of my left arm before reaching in, making sure to keep my wrist face down. "read it…"

"And what makes you think I will do as you ask?" Khan asked as he turned back around to fully face me, his brow rose as his eyes went from my face, traveling down to land on my wrist.

"Because this is the answer to your questions." I said before I urged Khan to come closer.

"I could break your arm you know, escape this prison I'm in, no one is around to protect you." Khan pointed out as he slowly stalked toward me.

"I know you won't, and I don't need protection…not from you." I said with confidence. "Not just because of your crew that is on our ship, but because I know you're very curious on what's on my wrist that would answer all the questions you've had the past year."

Khan came over to my arm before catching me by surprise. He lashed out to grip my wrist tightly in his and for a second I tensed at the contact, thinking that I had made a mistake in putting my wrist through the hole before he loosened his grip. I really thought he would snap my arm by the strength he applied and realized how stupid it might have been to easily trust that he wouldn't do anything.

Khan turned my wrist over and for the first time I saw a different expression grace his features beside rage and boredom. He was in shock, his guard had fallen the moment he saw his own name staring back at him. Subconsciously, I think, he had started tracing over each letter of his name.

"Somewhere on you is a name, and I can offer you something if you would simply help me…help us." I whispered, snapping him out of his thoughts as he quickly let go of my wrist as if it had burned him.

"Your name." Khan commanded as I kept my arm in place, wrist side up with his name still showing. Staring right back at him.

"My name is Allyson DeLuca." I answered as I carefully watched Khan who was so transfixed on my wrist. "You think SoulMates are a weakness, if you have my name on you then I promise to stay as far away from you as possible. I simply ask that you help us in return."

"You are Allyson DeLuca…" Khan said barely above a whisper as I saw some conflicting emotions flash across his eyes as he let out a shuttered breath, his hands were shaking as he reached out once more for my wrist.

"I've studied that SoulMates can take on characteristic traits of the other. Though I never got enough time to fully test that theory, I think we can confirm some of it now." I muttered as I carefully reached out to grab Khan's hand. "You said you would do anything for your crew…for your family. So would I…I would die for the safety of my family, Khan."

"You would die for them?" Khan softly scoffed at my statement. "And if I said in return I want you dead, what would your reply be?"

"If that's what you want then I will agree," I stated firmly. "but you need to help us get through this in one piece."

"Why?" Khan asked as he fired his eyes to look away from my Mark and into my eyes.

"Because…it's what you would do." I held firm, hoping that I had conveyed all that I was feeling to Khan for him to believe me. "Will you help me, Khan…?"

"Ally," Jim came running back into the brig, bringing our attention to where he was. "There's a ship at warp headed right for us. Not coming from Kronos. I'm ordering Khan to be moved to medbay."

"I'll escort him." I volunteered as I retracted my arm and closed the device.

"I don't think-" Jim began to say before I cut him off, keeping my eyes on Khan.

"He won't hurt me." I said as Khan turned back to look down at me.

"For now…" He whispered.

* * *

"Per Captain's orders, Khan will stay here in medbay." I informed Leonard before reaching out for the sleeve of his uniform. "I need to talk to you…if you're free."

"Everything okay?" Leonard asked with concern as we moved away from where Khan was sitting.

"John Harrison was a name made up to conceal his true name." I whispered as the two of us stood far from any prying ears. "His name is Khan, Leonard…"

"Khan," Leonard tried to wrap his head around what he had just heard. "as in…SoulMate Khan?"

"He never showed me my name, but judging off of his reaction? I'm sure somewhere on his body he has seen my name. There was a moment of recognition in his eyes and when he repeated my name." I said as I hugged my body in self comfort.

"You'll stay away from him, Ally." Leonard pleaded. "He's a dangerous man, and I don't want you anywhere near him. I won't give him the opportunity to hurt you."

"But we'll need his help. There's something going on far greater than we knew." I said as I reached around his body for one of his tricorders. "I still need to talk to him."

"Not without me being there to make sure he doesn't do anything to you." Leonard argued as he gently grabbed my arm to take the tricorder back. I simply nodded my head before one of our computers whirred to life and Admiral Marcus's face and voice started broadcasting shipwide.

 _ **"** **Captain Kirk."** _Admiral Marcus greeted.

 _ **"Admiral Marcus. I wasn't expecting you. That's a hell of a ship you got there."**_ Jim responded.

 _ **"And I wasn't expecting to get word that you'd taken Harrison into custody in violation of your orders."**_ Admiral Marcus argued.

 _ **"Well, we, uh…we had to improvise when our warp core unexpectedly malfunctioned. But you already knew that, didn't you?"**_ Jim said with an underlining accusation in the tone of his voice.

 _ **"I don't take your meaning."**_ Admiral Marcus said, not liking Jim's implications.

Leonard and I went over to the screen that was closest to Khan, myself being able to listen and observe Khan's reaction while Leonard started to do a full scan on Khan's body.

 _ **"** **Well that's why you're here, isn't it? To assist with our repairs? Wh-why else would the head of Starfleet personally come to the edge of the Neutral Zone?"**_ There was a slight pause before Jim continued to speak. _**"** **Is there something I can help you find, sir?"**_

 _ **"** **Where is your prisoner, Kirk?"**_ Admiral Marcus asked.

 _ **"Per Starfleet regulation, I'm planning on returning Khan to Earth to stand trial."**_ Jim cited as we heard Admiral Marcus let out a sigh.

 _ **"Well, shit. You talked to him. This is exactly what I was hoping to spare you from. I took a tactical risk and I woke that bastard up, believing that his superior intelligence could help us protect ourselves from whatever came at us next. But I made a mistake. And now the safety of everybody on Earth and in the whole universe is in danger should he remain alive. So I'm asking you, give him to me so that I can end what I started."**_ Admiral Marcus tried to plead his case, but for some reason...it wasn't as convincing as he thought he was being. I would believe Khan at this point more than Admiral Marcus.

 _ **"And what exactly would you like me to do with the rest of his crew, sir? Fire them at the Klingons? End seventy-two lives? Start a war in the process?"**_ Jim said in anger.

I took note that while sitting on the medbed, Khan had tensed at the mention of firing the torpedoes and ending the lives that were held inside and I had found myself reaching out, hesitating just a bit before placing it over his own balled fists. When I felt him relax slightly under my hands I couldn't stop myself from giving Khan a smile of reassurance when his eyes found mine. We weren't going to do that…that was never going to be an option.

 _ **"** **He put those people in those torpedoes. And I simply didn't want to burden you with knowing what was inside them. You saw what this man can do all by himself. Can you imagine what would happen if we woke up the rest of his crew? What else did he tell you? That he's a peacekeeper? He's playing you, son, don't you see that? Khan and his crew were condemned to death as war criminals. And now it is our duty to carry out that sentence before he gets the opportunity to kill anyone else."**_ There was desperation in his voice as he attempted to convince us that we were in the wrong, he really wanted Khan returned...not because of a simple mistake that threatened the lives of everyone, but so what he had planned would remain a secret. _**"Now, I'm going to ask you again! One last time, son. Lower your shields. Tell me where he is."**_

 _ **"He's in engineering, sir. But I'll have him moved to the transporter room right away."**_ Jim lied, we weren't planning to hand over Khan.

_**"I'll take it from here."** _

The transmission ended and just before I could go about doing my own duties my communicator went off causing me to jump with a start before I answered, needing to hold it away from my ears just a bit as Jim started yelling from the other end.

"Allyson!" Jim yelled through the line. "I said that we would bring Khan back to Earth and that's what we're going to do. Can we warp?"

"Going into warp we risk damaging the core even more!" I exclaimed before I heard something else on the line of what sounded like the purring of our engines. "Chekov?"

"I must agree with the Commander, Captain. We've been able to control the situation, but we don't know if it will hold." Chekov yelled above what sounded like more steam escaping the pipes.

"I just need to know if we can do it?" Jim asked impatiently.

"Technically, yes, but I would not adwise it, Captain." Chekov sighed in frustration.

"Noted." Jim said before ending his line.

"Chekov, do whatever you can in engineering, I'll be with you shortly." I said before ending my own communication. I heard the engines come to life, and felt the slight movement of the ship notifying me that Jim had taken us into warp.

"Well, at least we're moving again." Leonard commented as he continued to do his scans on Khan.

"If you think you're safe at warp, you're wrong." Khan's low voice spoke up before he glanced past me to where Carol, who was coming over to assist Leonard, was standing.

"You know about that ship?" I asked Khan just as I watched Carol rush out of the medbay doors.

"I designed it." Khan stated.

* * *

'It would've been so easy.' I thought as I stared at the woman who had revealed to me my name on her wrist. 'So...so easy to reach out and snap her neck.'

And yet, I couldn't bring myself to do it. She offered her life to me in exchange for helping these people on this ship. I wasn't so sure if I was happy at the prospect of taking her life? Or happy to finally have some form of clarity to my situation. How true are her words I wonder.

I glanced down at where her hand had touched my own, a ghost of her warmth still lingered before I went back to staring at the woman.

'…how far will you really go for the lives of these people?' I thought as I noticed her stick closely to the side of the ship's chief medical officer judging by the different uniform he wore. 'Can I trust you…'

The ship lurched to the side causing the woman to fall forward at the sudden attack, knocking her and everyone around off their feet, and without me realizing it I had reached out to her body. Even with my restraints on my wrist I was able to hold her steady, bringing her closer to my body as another hit rocked the ship.

"Thank you Khan." She said before gently pushing off my shoulders, riding out the shocks as she made her way to the computer console box that was closest to the two of us. I watched her carefully as she inputted an access code into the computer and brought up what looked to be the live schematics of this starship. "We have multiple haul breaches, our nacelles were hit…bulkhead breach. I dread to think what that did to our engines. We've been forced out of warp…" The expression on her face fell the more she continued to read off the damages done to this ship. "weapons are down and our shields are dropping…"

Another wave of oncoming fire hit the ship and her knees buckled, her body started to fall backwards. And once again my body had reacted before my mind could comprehend or register what I was doing, I had no control over my actions. I hopped off the medbed I was sitting on and rushed to her side, throwing my bound hands over her head, my arms resting just at her waist as I grabbed the handles on the workstation she was occupying. Pinning her body with my own into a small area to prevent her from being thrown around each time the weapons from Marcus's ship hit the Enterprise.

"Khan?" I heard her whisper in surprise up to me.

"Keep working." I ordered as I stared at the screen in front of us. My nose prickled at an unknown smell that invaded my senses, there was something floral…something that smelled distinctly of pine? It wasn't strong, a scent I knew very well and my body instinctively started to relax. I leaned forward to get a better whiff of what I was smelling before I commanded my body to stop what it was about to do. Shaking my head at the thoughts, I stared at the back of the woman's head. 'Lavender, she smells like lavender.'

 _ **"Sir. It's me. It's Carol."**_ The spawn of Marcus started to speak over the intercom.

The firing had stopped, there was another shipwide broadcast as the spawn of Marcus started to speak once more.

 _ **"What are you doing on that ship?"**_ Marcus had asked in what I could distinguish as slight shock.

 _ **"I heard what you said. That you made a mistake and now you're doing everything you can to fix it. But, Dad, I-I don't believe that the man who raised me is capable of destroying a ship full of innocent people."**_ Marcus's daughter started to stutter.

'Then she doesn't know her own father.' I thought as I rolled my eyes at the blabbering the woman was doing over the intercom. My arms tightened around the woman in my arms, before relaxing the instant her own hands came into contact with my own. I gritted my teeth in irritation at how my body was reacting at such a simple action. 'DeLuca…you are a dangerous woman to be around!'

 _ **"And, if I'm wrong about that, then you're gonna have to do it with me on board."**_ Marcus's daughter tried to stand firm against her father, but I knew that wouldn't phase the man one bit.

_**"Actually, Carol, I won't."** _

'The fool…' I thought as from the broadcast a loud scream came through, echoing all around the ship.

"What happened…" I heard the woman in my arms whisper.

"Marcus beamed his daughter back onto his ship." I answered, again without even wanting to.

"He can do that?" She asked as I turned my head back down to watch her work.

"His ship can." I stated.

 _ **"Captain Kirk, without authorization and in league with the fugitive John Harrison, you went rogue in enemy territory, leaving me no choice but to hunt you down and destroy you. Lock phasers."**_ Marcus gave the order.

 _ **"Wait, sir, wait, wait, wait!"**_ Kirk's voice called in a panic.

 _ **"I'll make this quick. Target all aft torpedoes on the Enterprise bridge."**_ Marcus wasn't going to listen until Kirk tried once more to plead with the man.

 _ **"Sir, my crew was just…was just following my orders. I take…I take full responsibility for my actions. But they were mine and they were mine alone. If I transmit Khan's location to you now, all that I ask is that you spare them. Please, sir. I'll do anything you want. Just let them live."**_ Kirk tried to apologize, to compromise with the man, though futile in my opinion.

_**"That's a hell of an apology. But if it's any consolation, I was never going to spare your crew. fire when rea…"** _

The transmission cut out and the woman in my arms grew tense. "They're locking their weapons on us…"

There was a slight waiver in her voice as she spoke, I watched how composed she looked on the outside, but inside she was scared I was sure of it. Everyone would be scared in a situation like this. She took a glance to where the chief doctor was working before looking over her shoulder to me.

"Scared of dying." I whispered close to her ear.

"No," She whispered back as she squeezed her eyes shut, prepared for the weapons that were about to hit us. "I'm angry at the manipulation, the dishonesty, and how easy it is for Marcus to sacrifice our lives to bring about his war. The lives of the crew on this ship matter. Your life matters. We're not simply tools to be sacrificed for a war that may never come. I'm frustrated that there's nothing I or we can do to avoid this. We'd be labeled as traitors because Marcus said so."

In a few seconds we were going to die, and instead of being concerned about herself, this woman was concerned about the people aboard this ship…myself included.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter seemed all over the place, I really tried to make things as clear as I could. If it was confusing or didn't make sense I do apologize.
> 
> I'd like to think that Khan is just an enigma when it comes to emotional stuff. Since all he knows is anger and to conquer, an explained emotion just takes him completely off guard that his mind will say one thing but his body will react instinctively and show what he truly means. But that's just me xD


	21. A Dangerous Game

"Their…their weapons are powering down!" The woman in my arms voiced out in shock. "What happened?"

"What happened indeed…" I whispered as I looked at the screen alongside her. "someone from inside would've had to manually reset their systems." I smirked, pretty impressed by Kirk and his crew. "Seems like Kirk had called for someone to check on those coordinates, I imagine that said person made their way onto the ship and disarmed their weapons system."

"Who?" The woman asked before a phaser whirring to life caught my ears before I could even respond.

"Let her go."

I turned to where the 'intimidating' voice had come from and saw the ship's chief medical officer glaring dangerously back at me. Threatening and in a sense challenging me in my eyes if he was telling me to let the woman in my arms go.

"Doctor, are you going to shoot me." I scoffed as I saw his phaser armed and aimed directly at my head.

"I will if you don't let her go. You have one warning, Khan, that's all I'm giving you." The doctor growled. "And it's not set to stun."

"And why should I?" I egged him on, watching him squirm under my gaze as I tried to call his bluff. "She is my Mate after all, I think I can do as I please when it concerns her."

The chief medical doctor glared at me and I saw his finger on the trigger twitch. I wanted him to give me reason to retaliate, who was he to tell me what to do. Especially when it came to my Mate? Though before we could say anything more, exchange more threats, the woman in my arms interrupted us and tried to deescalate the situation.

"Leonard," The woman in front of me said as she ducked under my arms and reached out for the doctor's hand, gently pushing the phaser down. "it's okay. He wasn't going to harm me, he helped me stay stable while the ship was being attacked by the Admiral's ship."

The look that was exchanged between the two, though I would never admit it out loud, got my blood boiling as I could clearly see what was going on between the two. It would seem that she practiced what many in this century did, settling for companionship in the first person she found intriguing.

The chief doctor eased up under her grip and turned away from me, the two moving slightly away to converse in secret. I went back to sitting on the medbeds, settling on observing their behavior and interaction. The doctor was angry as the woman attempted to calm him down. I watched as she stood on her toes to close the distance between the two of them and I looked away before a smug smile tugged at my lips. 'Must be so hard loving a woman who didn't belong to him.' Sarcasm, I didn't feel bad for the man or the hardships the two would face due to my presence, but I did want him to leave her alone.

The chief doctor walked past me, giving me the hardest glare he could muster before going about his work as the woman came back to my side. The doors to the medbay opened and in strode Kirk, He walked up to me and blocked my line of sight.

"Tell me everything you know about that ship." Kirk ordered.

"Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew." I stated. "Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat."

"I will do everything I can to make you answer for what you did." Kirk threatened before he backed down. "But right now I need your help."

"In exchange for what?" I asked.

"You said you'd do anything for your crew. I can guarantee their safety." Kirk stated and I couldn't help but sneer at his response.

"Captain." I drawled out. "You can't even guarantee the safety of your own crew."

Kirk's eyes wavered, he knew I spoke the truth, but when he wanted to say more something behind me caught his eyes. "Bones, what are you doing with that tribble?"

"The tribble's dead. I'm injecting Khan's platelets into the deceased tissue of a necrotic host. Khan's cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen, and I want to know why." Bones? I thought his name was Leonard based on the name that woman had called him.

"So," Kirk spoke up bringing my attention back to the blonde man in front of me. "You coming with me or not?"

* * *

"Sulu is aligning our ship with Marcus's ship as we speak, we're going to jettison out of the trash exhaust toward their access port." Jim said as he was in the process of putting on his space suit. "Since we can't attack or flee, our only option is that we're gonna take over the Vengeance from the inside with the help of Scotty that's on that ship with Khan's assistance. It's the only way…"

"From here to Marcus's ship there must be heavy debris in the way." I said as I did a final check on Jim's suit. "you be careful out there."

"Always am." Jim smiled.

"Jim…I know this would be a difficult request to accept, but I ask that you trust Khan." I whispered, looking over to where Khan was putting on his own space suit.

"I'm not going to align myself with him Ally, simply use him." Jim stated as he looked in the same direction I was looking. "I'm sure he's doing the same as well."

"If you betray him it'll give him every reason to betray you." I said as I stepped into Jim's line of sight.

"I don't trust him, Ally." Jim argued.

"Then trust me…" I pleaded. "his motives are unclear, but he wants his crew safe that much I'm positive about. Khan wants Marcus to pay just as much as we do. We have similar goals. I'm going to talk to him one last time, but if you trust me…then place your trust in him."

"You're asking way too much from me Ally…" Jim sighed. "what if he, at the last minute, betrays us? What then? He could use the Vengeance and open fire on our own ship. A ship that cannot fight back, we'd be putting our crew's life in danger."

"Then you call me." I said as I patted where my communicator was located in the pocket of my pants. "I can use our Marks to our advantage. He'd hate me for it, but it could help us. If he gets out of control…call me."

"Marks can be used that way?" Jim asked.

"Very rarely, no SoulMate wants to use that kind of authority on someone they care about, but there was a case where a SoulMate was able to command the other to do something that would get their intended out of harm's way. They had done it unintentionally, but it was enough to convince their partner to not put their life in danger." I stated. "SoulMate's words have a stronger influence on each other. There is something embedded into our system that makes us recognize our Mate's, making it hard to defy the plea of another."

"You only met him today." Jim pointed out.

"And from my observation I've concluded that he's already taken on some of my characteristics. I may have just met him today, but our bond developed before any physical contact could be made." I said and when Jim looked at me for answers I continued. "Compassion for human life. He's feeling emotions that I speculate belonged to me. I don't know how to explain clearly Jim, it's…just a gut feeling. I know that this could work."

"I suppose I should take the advice from an expert…I'm still shocked to find out that you have two Marks. If things weren't so serious, I'd say you're in for a fun ride." Jim placed his helmet over his head. "I'm suited up and ready to go, you said you needed some time with Khan right?" Jim motioned to where Khan's helmet lay resting. "He still needs his helmet."

I nodded my head in thanks as I went over to where Khan's helmet was laying, picking it up and going over to Khan who was in the process of zipping up his suit.

"Khan-"

"How much trust do you have in Kirk?" Khan asked as he did a final check over his suit.

"Excuse me?" I asked, taken a bit by surprise.

"He says he can keep my crew and his crew safe, how much do you trust his words?" Khan repeated.

"He's just like you Khan, two Captains who would do everything in their power to do what he promises, to ensure the safety of and protect every crew member that serves under him." I said with confidence.

"How much…" Khan steel eyes stared down at me unblinking. "…do you trust him."

"I'd trust him with my life, Khan." I nodded my head. "And I'm urging you to do the same. Remember, we want the same thing. Help us and we can help you."

"And what do we want?" Khan huffed.

"We want Marcus to answer for all that he's done." I stated.

Khan continued to stare at me before holding out his hand expectantly for his helmet. I didn't hand it to him however, I stood up on my toes and placed the helmet over his head. Being this close to Khan I couldn't help but get a closer look at his face and his striking steel blue eyes that at the moment seemed to turn green. He was so different from Leonard, complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Leonard you could tell exactly what he was feeling just by his expression, his eyes were literally the doors to his soul. But for Khan…I couldn't tell at all what his thought process was just by looking at him, and he wouldn't tell me his true intentions even if I asked. His eyes were dark and dangerous, it sent a chill up my spine, but something deep within me urged me not to fear the man standing in front of me. There was a reason he was my SoulMate, him and Leonard. "I trust you to do the right thing, Khan…"

"You have too much trust in someone you just met today." Khan responded as he checked to make sure his helmet was on right, showing to me that he didn't trust me enough to have faith that I would never tamper with his equipment.

"And you don't have enough trust in others." I shot back before letting out a sigh. "I would never dare tamper with your suit, Khan. If anything I made sure to double check your suit along with the Captain's to make sure that it was in perfect working condition."

"Ally," Jim said as he came to join our little group. "we're ready to put our plan into action."

"I'll be headed to the bridge to monitor your progress." I nodded my head before turning back to Khan. "I believe in you. I believe that deep down, Khan, you are a good person…." I stepped away from Khan as I looked at the two men who stood ready to carry out their impossible mission. "godspeed gentlemen."

* * *

"Captain, before you launch, you should be aware there is a considerable debris field between our ships." I heard Spock inform Jim the moment I walked back onto the bridge.

 _ **"** **Spock, not now. Scotty you good?"**_ Jim asked.

 _ **"** **It's not easy! Just…give me two seconds, all right, you mad bastard!"**_ Scotty's irritated and panicked voice responded, his accent becoming stronger the more pressure he was feeling about the situation.

"Ally," Leonard greeted me as I went to stand beside him. "glad to see you back on the bridge."

"Only momentarily…" I said to Leonard. "after I know that Khan and Jim safely made it on to Marcus's ship I must head back down to engineering. I need to assess what damage we did when we went into warp." I nudged Leonard's side lightly with my elbow. "I never got to thank you for being concerned about my safety back in medbay."

"I'll always be concerned about your wellbeing Ally, it's my duty as your SoulMate to make sure no harm comes to you." Leonard mumbled as I saw a slight blush tint his cheeks. "I didn't even realize I had reached for my phaser and pointed it at him…my body just responded when I saw his grip tightly around you."

I took a glance around us, seeing that everyone was preoccupied with their own tasks before I stood on my toes and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. Public displays of affection seemed new to Leonard as I saw his cheeks grow even more red before he let out a nervous cough. He sent me a smile before leaning down to speak to Spock. "Tell me this is gonna work."

Spock opened his mouth to say something, before tilting his head to the side. "I have neither the information nor the confidence to do so, Doctor." Spock finally said.

 _ **"** **Okay, Captain, stand by."**_ Scotty finally said.

"Boy you're a real comfort." I saw Leonard shake his head before standing back to his full height.

 _ **"** **Come on, come on, come on. Yes!"**_ Scotty rejoiced before the muffling sound on his end cleared. _**"Okay, okay! I'm set to open the door."**_

 _ **"** **You ready?"**_ Jim asked Khan.

 _ **"** **Are you?"**_ Khan repeated back to Jim.

 _ **"** **Spock, pull the trigger."**_ Jim gave the order as the rest of the crew on the bridge watched on in anticipation.

"Yes, Captain." Spock said. We couldn't do anything on our end to physically help Jim or Khan on their mission except provide information…they were on their own out there and from the screen I saw there was more debris then I had accounted for. Spock started to input a code into the captain's chair before counting down. "Launching activation sequence on three," I reached out for Leonard's hand, gripping and tightening as I watched the screen. "two," Leonard gave my hand a squeeze in an attempt to comfort me, I was anxious…was this going to work? We only had one chance. "one."

On the viewscreen two life signs pinged into existence, one labeled Kirk and the other Khan.

"Ally," Leonard said as he pulled me to the other standing station that was monitoring the two blips. From the screen there was a direct line connecting our ship and the Vengeance as Khan and Kirk were continuing to follow that plotted course. "we can see in better detail on this station."

"Sir, Kirk is headed for collision at point four three two!" An officer on the bridge reported.

"Captain, there is debris directly ahead." Spock said as he leaned further forward in the captain's chair.

 _ **"** **Copy that."**_ Jim's blip suddenly flew straight to the right, completely going off the designated course.

"Woah! Jim, you're way off course!" Leonard spoke up.

 _ **"** **I know, I know! I can see that."**_ Jim's panicked voice called out.

"He needs to get back on course or he'll never make it…" I whispered as I nervously brought my hand up to my mouth, rubbing my chin as I watched the two blips continue forward and Jim still frantically moving around on the screen.

"Use your display compass, Captain." Sulu said as he continued to monitor his screen, inputting his calculations that was being fed into Jim's helmet display. "You must correct precisely thirty-seven point two-four-three degrees."

 _ **"** **Got it. I'm working my way back."**_ There was a couple seconds of silence before Jim started to speak once again. _**"Scotty, you're gonna be ready with that door, right?"**_ When Scotty didn't respond I looked to Nyota who was checking over all the frequencies. _**"Mister Scott, where are you?"**_

"Captain, he can't seem to hear you. I'm working on getting his signal back. Stand by." Nyota said as she tried to hail Scotty's communicator once more.

 _ **"Damn it."**_ Jim suddenly cursed.

"Captain, what is it?" Spock asked at hearing the sudden shift in Jim's voice.

 _ **"My helmet was hit. Uhura, tell me you have Mister Scott back."**_ Jim pleaded.

"Not yet, I'm still working on a signal." Nyota's motions became frantic as she tried every possibility she could think of that could get back in touch with Scotty. Something or someone was preventing Scotty from answering. "His communicator is working. I don't know why he isn't responding."

"Imminent collision detected!" An ensign called out.

"Khan, use evasive action! There is debris directly ahead." Spock urged Khan.

 _ **"I see it."**_ Khan's voice came through and I watched as his blip swiveled ever so slightly to the right, then to the left, over and under the gigantic debris that we had detected in his way before his signal suddenly cut out.

"What happened!" I called as a sudden wave a panic settled around me.

"Mister Sulu, did we lose Khan?" Spock asked.

"I don't know, Commander. I'm having trouble tracking him in all this debris." Sulu panicked and from the station I was standing at, though it was not originally my own personal workstation I started to assist in helping Sulu track down Khan's signal. I took a glance to my left wrist, for reassurance or comfort, I wasn't sure and when I saw that it was still its solid color I didn't lose hope.

 _ **"Was Khan hit?"**_ Jim asked.

"We're trying to find him now." I responded as I carefully scanned the area where Khan was last seen, making sure to be meticulous as I continued a looping scan of the area.

"Captain, you need to adjust your target destination to one-eight-three by four-seven-three degrees." Sulu said as I watched Jim on the right side of my screen start to move side to side once more before staying on a straight path.

 _ **"Spock, my display's dead. I'm flying blind."**_ Jim informed us of the sudden problem.

"Captain, without your display compass, hitting your target destination is mathematically impossible." Spock stated and for once I truly wished Spock kept his mouth shut.

 _ **"Spock, if I get back, we really need to talk about your bedside manner."**_ Jim huffed.

"Commander," Sulu said as he turned his chair around to face Spock. "he's not going to make it."

'I can't find Khan and Jim can't get to the ship if he doesn't have his display…' I bit my lip in frustration before giving up whatever I was doing on the station I was using. 'Shit!'

A sense of dread, the feeling of defeat, a sign of hope came to us with the sound of a single beep coming to life and on the viewscreen along with the screen in front of me Khan's name resurfaced.

 _ **"My display is still functioning. I see you, Kirk, you're two hundred meters ahead of me at my one o'clock. Come to your left a few degrees and follow me."**_ Khan's voice was a huge relief to hear.

'Oh thank god…' I let out a sigh of relief, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding in as I watched Jim's signal maneuver closer to Khan's.

 _ **"Scotty, we're getting close. We need a warm welcome. Do you copy? Do you copy? Scotty?"**_ Their names started growing closer to the Vengeance and there was still no sign of life coming from Scotty's communicator.

"If you can hear us, Mister Scott, open the door in ten, nine…" _**"Scotty!"**_ "…eight, seven…" _**"Mister Scott, where are you?"**_ "…six, five…"

'Come on, Scotty…' I pleaded as Leonard, without me noticing until I felt it, had wrapped an arm around my waist.

 _ **"Scotty, where are you?"**_ "…three…" _**"Do you copy, Scotty? Please!"**_ "…two…Mister Scott, open the door!" _**"Open the door!"**_ "Mister Scott, now!"

Khan and Jim's signal vanished off our screen and their line had gone dead. I wasn't sure how long we waited, too long in my opinion, before we heard Scotty's voice come from the communicator to confirm that everything had gone according to plan. _**"Welcome aboard."**_ They made it!

* * *

"Commander, I have that transmission as requested." Nyota notified Spock as I looked back at my Vulcan friend in curiosity.

"On screen, please." Spock urged as I turned back to the view screen, hearing Nyota respond to Spock's request. "Stand by."

The words 'incoming transmission' flashed on our viewscreen as we waited for the pixelated image to stabilize, and when it did the person on the other end lifted their head. Ambassador Spock, the future…older version of our Spock, face greeted the crew on the bridge. "Mister Spock."

"Mister Spock." Spock greeted back as I went over to stand beside Spock to his right. "I will be brief. In your travels, did you ever encounter a man named Khan?"

Ambassador Spock made brief eye contact with me before a look of worry and concern passed through his eyes. The elder Vulcan lowered his eyes to the ground, shaking his head before he began to speak. "As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk, and yours alone." Ambassador Spock let his words sink in, and for a second I saw our Spock lower his head dejectedly. "That being said, Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise ever faced. He is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you."

"Did you defeat him?" Spock asked as I saw Ambassador Spock's shoulder lower before he gave a big sigh.

"At great cost. Yes." Ambassador Spock nodded his head.

"How?" Spock asked.

And so, we listened as Ambassador Spock told us about the Enterprise's encounter with the Khan from their reality, but in order for us to completely understand how things ended, we had to first hear how it all began…a detailed shortened version at least. From when they first stumbled across Khan's floating vessel and his crew, explained what exactly Khan and his crew's vision was before they had gone to sleep, to Kirk exiling said crew on a planet called Ceti Alpha V. Years later they had encountered Khan once more who had seemed to seek revenge on Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise, holding them responsible for the deaths of his crew that occurred on Ceti Alpha V. Through their struggle, when Khan thought he had the upper hand it was thanks to the minds of Spock and Kirk that they were able to trick Khan into a nearby Mutara Nebula that would render shields useless and targeting systems compromised. When they were on even footing, they were able to go through with their attack.

Through trickery and always being one step ahead of Khan, they were able to defeat the augment leader. In one last act of resistance, Khan had activated something called a Genesis Device that would've reorganized all matter in the nebula…including the Enterprise. The Enterprise had tried to move out of range, but with a damaged warp drive they would not get away in time.

And it was then that Ambassador Spock had given a pause in his story, before informing us that while every life on the Enterprise was in danger Spock had made the decision to go down to the engine room to restore warp capabilities, a room that our Spock and myself along with those that knew how the ship functioned, knew would be flooded with radiation.

Tricking Khan had potentially cost the life of a dear friend and crewmate.

"Why tell us that?" I decided to speak up, hearing that Ambassador Spock had risked his life for all the lives of his crew.

"Because…even with the events being rewritten, there are some things that can never be avoided." Ambassador Spock said. "You, coming into contact with Khan, is proof that there are some points in time that are fixed. They must always happen."

"Thank you, Mister Spock." Spock said with a nod of his head. "We will walk our own path from here."

"Good luck Mister Spock." Ambassador Spock wished us well before transmission on both sides came to an end. A sense of dread settled among those on the bridge, neither one of us willing to accept such a fate before Spock stood from his seat and went over to Nyota.

"Lieutenant, I need you to assemble all senior medical and engineering staff in weapons bay." Spock ordered Nyota.

"All right." Nyota said with a troubled expression before turning away as Spock then walked over to Leonard.

"Doctor McCoy, you inadvertently activated a torpedo. Could you replicate the process?" Spock asked as I listened carefully to what Spock was potentially planning.

"Why the hell would I want to do that?" Leonard scoffed.

"Can you or can you not?" Spock impatiently repeated once more.

"Damn it, man I'm a doctor, not a torpedo technician!" Leonard argued.

"The fact that you are a doctor is precisely why I need you to listen very carefully." Spock said.

"As your acting First Officer, would you care to inform me of your plan, Captain?" I butted, not at all liking what was going through the Vulcan's mind. I could only speculate what it was he was planning, but I had hoped that it wasn't that type of plan…but when it came to those torpedoes and if Leonard was involved? I could already speculate what his plan was.

"To stay one step ahead, that's what Ambassador Spock had implied. Outsmarting him is our only option. Doctor McCoy will safely extract those men and women in those torpedoes, if Khan intends to betray us…ask us to return his crew to him or he'd destroy us then we will use those torpedoes against him." Spock responded and immediately, without skipping a beat, I turned to where Nyota had gone.

"Lieutenant Uhura, belay that order." I commanded, startling my friend, and continuing on before Spock could interrupt me. "All senior medical officers and engineering staff will stay at their designated station."

"Commander DeLuca-" Spock began to say before I cut him off.

"No, Spock. I will not allow you to touch those torpedoes." I stated firmly. "What Ambassador Spock said may be true, but I've seen what Khan has done. Brilliant? Yes. Ruthless, sure. But I think that's where the paths diverge, there's something about Khan that has changed from what he would've turned out to be. He's not a killer, he hasn't killed anyone even when he had the opportunity to do so. He's fueled by revenge I will agree, but it was only when Starfleet had threatened the lives of his crew. If we do exactly what they had done then there's nothing that can stop Khan from taking it out on us."

"And what would you have me do then, Commander?" Spock asked with a slight glare.

"I already said this to the Captain that I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling, but…I feel like he can be good. I talked to him, Spock, I don't believe he's the same man Ambassador Spock had encountered in his reality." I pleaded. "I…trust him to do what is right."

"You want me to risk the lives aboard this ship over a gamble that Khan had listened to you." Spock huffed.

"Risk it on an act of faith." I pleaded, repeating what Ambassador Spock had said back on Earth. "I promised Khan that he could trust us. Promised that his crew would be safe with us. I told the Captain to call me if Khan gets out of line, but any signs of deception on our end then I may not be able to rein him in." I stepped closer to Spock. "You've read my reports, I've told you every new thing I discovered when studying about SoulMarks and its effects on SoulMates. If you cannot trust him, then trust me that this could work."

"And if it doesn't?" Spock asked. "If it doesn't work, and Khan does, indeed, betray us, what then?"

"I will take full responsibility for every life that he takes, I will answer for his crimes and do whatever it takes to stop him." I stated as I held eye contact with Spock. "It's just a gut feeling I know, but deep down I believe this will work."

Spock stared back down at me, debating and weighing his options and when I didn't back down he gave a sigh through his nose before calling back to Nyota. "I retract my previous orders Lieutenant Uhura. We wait for the Captain to report back."

"Thank you, Spock." I sighed as well with relief. "There's work to be done in engineering, but if something arises…please don't hesitate to call for me."

I quickly left the bridge, but I had not seen that Leonard had followed close behind. I was only made aware of his presence when he had reached out to stop me in the corridor a bit away from the bridge.

"You'd trust a mad man at the risk of the crew?" Leonard asked in slight disappointment. "Our lives, Allyson."

"I'm not risking anyone's life, Leonard." I argued back. "I saw it in his eyes, I believe and trust Khan to keep his word."

"You only just met him today." Leonard glared. "We should do as Spock planned, get the upper hand before he kills us all. His work…he'd kill everyone in the universe that he finds less superior than himself. You included, Allyson!"

"Maybe three hundred years ago that was his work, but then again…three hundred years ago I wasn't born." I stated firmly. "He wasn't born with a Mark, Leonard…not until he woke up and saw he had one."

"You haven't seen your name!" Leonard growled. "How is it that you can trust so easily? Allyson, come to your senses-"

"Because that is who I am! I'm putting faith in his ability to keep his word because that is something I would do. I'd value human life and trust in someone who I deem trustworthy." I argued back. "If he's taken anything from me, it's that. I trust my Mates and I hope they will do the same…I hope you'll do the same without questioning something that I can't yet explain. SoulMarks are an unknown anomaly that we've only just scratched the surface of. I'm basing it off a hunch and a gut feeling, Leonard." I stepped closer to Leonard and reached out to grab his hands before giving him a small smile, pleading him to not argue with me. "Please, at least trust that what I'm feeling will work."

* * *

"They're going to have full power and we're walking?" Scotty harshly whispered as he followed Jim close behind who was in turn following Khan's lead, putting faith in him to take them straight to the bridge.

"The turbo lifts are easily tracked and Marcus would have us in a cage." Khan informed the Scottish man as he turned to a nearby computer, tucking his phaser into the back of his pants as he started operating the machinery. "This path runs adjacent to the engine room. They knew they won't be able to use their weapons here without destabilizing the warp core, which gives us the advantage." Khan pointed out as he started to run once more.

"Where'd you find this guy?" Scotty asked Jim who only sighed as they started running once more.

"Oh, it's a long story." Jim said as they turned left to walk through a narrow deserted passageway lined with more machinery.

"I don't mean to tempt fate here, but where is everybody?" Scotty whispered as the trio went from running to fast walking with Khan taking front.

"The ship is designed to be flown by minimal crew, one if necessary." Khan responded plainly.

"One? I-" Before Scotty continued his sentence someone had come throwing a fist from Khan's left, the augment reacting instantly before anyone else could. Khan threw a punch to the man's face before letting out a ferocious yell as he hit the officer square in the chest and stunning the man.

The wild and ruthless way Khan fought caused Scotty and Jim to back away slowly, not wanting to get involved or caught up in Khan's fight before they too were taken by surprise and attacked. The two were preoccupied with their own opponents that they didn't realize that Khan had gone ahead to make sure that there were no others that would stand in their way on their path toward the bridge.

It was only when the two opponents were unconscious on the ground did they finally realize that Khan had vanished.

"You all right?" Jim asked as he helped Scotty to his feet.

"Yeah. Where's Khan?" Scotty asked as he tried to catch his breath, not used to very much physical combat.

From the path that Khan had plotted for them, the two began to follow while being on the lookout for where Khan had gone. Keeping their guard up for any more Starfleet officers that would be waiting in ambush.

"Where is he?" Scotty asked when there was no sign of the augment.

"Shit!" Jim silently cursed before Khan's voice called to them from behind. "This way."

Khan was waiting for them back where they had turned, the augment reached behind him for his phaser before taking off, not giving the duo a second to compose themselves.

"The minute we get to the bridge, watch him." Jim warned Scotty. "Don't do anything unless he does…"

"I thought he was helping us." Scotty asked as they followed after the man who was already getting farther ahead from them.

"I'm hoping he is…" Jim whispered, remember what Ally had pleaded to him, as they ran to catch up to Khan.

As they ran through the corridor that would take them to the bridge of the ship, the lights started to turn on as the doors started to open with the power coming on. In that moment the three threw out being cautious and picked up pace, running as fast as their legs could carry them just to make it to the bridge and stop them from firing on the vulnerable Enterprise.

"Retarget the Enterprise now!" They heard Marcus give out the order.

"Aye, sir."

Khan was the first to open fire, issuing a warning shot onto one of the console's that was in control of the ship's weapons systems before the three started firing on each crewman aboard the bridge, stunning them while leaving only Admiral Marcus conscious.

Jim went up to confront Admiral Marcus as Khan kept watch on any remaining crewmen that would possibly get up from their stunned state, Scotty was doing the same while keeping one eye on Khan who had taken to stand just behind Jim.

* * *

"Admiral Marcus, you're under arrest." I heard Kirk say as I turned to look at the man who was seated comfortably in the captain's chair. I felt rage bubbling to the surface, my chest had tightened, and I had taken a step toward the two men before realizing that my feet wouldn't carry me any further. He was right there, in my reach! So…why wasn't my body doing as I commanded it to.

"You're not actually going to do this are you?" Marcus asked, just the sound of his voice caused my skin to crawl as I hesitantly lowered my arm, tucking the phaser I held in my hand in the back of my pants.

"Admiral, get out of the chair." Kirk gave another warning.

"You better stop and think about what you're doing, Kirk." Marcus gave his own warning as I turned my body to completely stare at the man. "You better think about what you did on Kronos. You made an incursion onto an enemy planet! You killed a Klingon patrol. Even if you got away without a trace, war is coming. And who is going to lead us? You?" With each word, each sentence, Marcus's voice grew louder and I felt my hand twitch. "If I'm not in charge, our entire way of life is decimated! So you want me off this ship, you better kill me."

"That can be arranged…" I commented before Kirk sent me a warning glance, but what was that look for I wonder. I simply agreed to what Marcus wanted.

"I'm not going to kill you, sir. But I could stun your ass and drag you out of that chair. I'd rather not do that in front of your daughter." Kirk stated before turning in the direction where the spawn of Marcus was standing. "You all right?"

"Yes, Captain." the female answered before Kirk turned back to Marcus.

"So, it's your choice, sir. Get out of that chair with dignity…or I'll force you out of it." Kirk warned one last time with his phaser pointed straight at Marcus.

"He won't do as you say." I plainly pointed out. "I'll gladly force him out, Kirk. It would be my pleasure…"

"Siding with a man who would destroy us all and not even blink, how far you've fallen son. Christopher would be so disappointed in you." Marcus commented in an attempt to turn Kirk against me. "Siding with the man who killed Admiral Christopher Pike."

"I killed no one." I firmly said as Marcus simply scoffed.

"I should've destroyed those torpedoes when I had the chance, I should've killed you along with them. It was a mistake waking you up." Marcus shook his head. "Yet look at you now, a pathetic shell of who you once were."

"You're right, it was a mistake waking me up." I took a threatening step forward before Kirk had reached out to stop me.

"Don't." Kirk warned quietly as he leaned closer to me. "Allyson placed her trust in you. **I** put my trust in you because Allyson had asked me to, don't make me regret not putting you down the moment we got onto this bridge…"

Allyson DeLuca. Of course. The brief moment back on the Enterprise she had asked me to trust the man that was preventing me from reaching my target. Even if that woman wasn't physically here, she's still able to stop me…urging me to do what is right.

 _"I trust you to do the right thing, Khan…"_ Go away. _"I believe in you. I believe that deep down, Khan, you are a good person…"_ I said go away! So…infuriating.

"Such loyalty, snap your fingers and he listens. Where was this loyalty when working under me." Marcus commented.

"Don't Khan," Kirk warned me with his phaser still trained on Marcus. "he's only trying to rile you up."

"I'm not stupid Kirk," I said as I glanced at the pathetic man in the chair. "pointless, offhanded comments like his don't get under my skin. No matter how much he tries."

"Good…good." Kirk turned his eyes back to Marcus. "I'd hate to see Allyson disappointed over something you did…"

"Allyson, that's right there's a DeLuca on your ship." Marcus sighed. "Allyson DeLuca, such a great disappointment to her family along with wasted potential. I should've brought that pitiful excuse of a DeLuca to work under me, reshape her to be just like her father…maybe if she was working under me and met you then you'd be just as obedient like you're being now." Marcus looked back at Khan. "A pathetic Starfleet dog that refused to fall in line."

* * *

Out of all the things Khan wanted to throttle Marcus for, he had resisted. The augment had reined in his temper, bit his tongue, simply because Allyson had asked him to. Yet, it seemed Marcus wanted to get a rouse out of him. Did Marcus not understand who he was taunting? Who he was dealing with?

Khan had done such a good job that it surprised Jim that he even listened when he asked him to stop. But that all shattered when Marcus started talking about Allyson, the fire that had extinguished had been relit along with having a gallon of fuel dumped on the fire to cause it to flare back up into existence.

Khan was instantly blinded by rage as he shoved Jim out of the way and advanced onto Admiral Marcus who jumped up from his chair at the sudden disruption. Jim had tried to get in front of Khan, trying his best to not harm the man who seemed too blinded to realize what Jim was trying to do. Khan had snapped, his fist came into contact with Jim's face before kicking him out of his way, Jim's body coming in contact hard with one of the console's before falling to the ground with a loud thud.

As Marcus ran toward the one escape pod that was located on the bridge and even though Carol had stepped into Khan's way, the augments eyes were solely fixed on Marcus. Even Scotty had tried to stop Khan, firing his phaser that was set to stun at the man who seemed unaffected by the attack, brushing it off as a little tick as he kept advancing on Marcus.

"Listen! Wait!" Carol pleaded with the augment to stop only for her to be thrown back as well, her back hitting the bottom platform hard. When her body slumped to the ground Khan simply stepped over her. She was no concern of his or a threat to him.

The sudden insult Marcus had thrown at Allyson seemed to ignite something within Khan. All he saw was red as he closed the distance between himself and the retreating Admiral. When Khan was close enough he had reached out and placed both his hands on either side of Marcus's head, pulling him away from the panel that led to the escape pod, intent on crushing Marcus's skull and ending the man's life.

All the negative emotions Khan kept bottled up: for threatening the life of his crew, for using him, all of it he was using it as justification for killing the man who was brought to his knees in front of him. Marcus started to scream at the pressure Khan began to apply, getting louder the more Khan squeezed.

Khan was taking great joy in having control over his body again, he will relish taking Marcus's life. At this point it seemed like nothing in the universe would or could stop Khan from carrying out his mission to kill Marcus.

But…something did stop him. A chime like voice pierced through the fury that clouded his mind, a voice that caused the flame bubbling in his chest to disappear and vanish completely. A woman's voice filled with concern and worry. A single voice that caused Khan's movements to falter as his eyes started coming back into focus.

"Khan…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think, in front of the crew on the bridge, Ambassador Spock retold what resulted in their final encounter with Khan (Wrath of Khan). That's why during the scene where Spock was telling everyone on the bridge to leave while he stayed behind was him accepting his fate that this was where he dies, hence why his voice cracked because he knew this had to happen. The crew (basing it off what Sulu said in response to Spock telling them to abandon the ship) made the decision to stay because they didn't want Spock to die, or at least die alone. If he was meant to go down, then they were going down with him.


	22. The Bonds We Share

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help myself...I wanted to post another chapter lol. Once again thank you all for reading when I update and for giving my story a chance! I love all you lovely readers!

"Update, Ensign Erikson." I spoke out to make my presence known and the moment I stepped one foot into the room I was swarmed with Ensigns and Lieutenants giving me report after report about what's been going on with the ship while I was dealing with Khan.

"We've done damage control on decks seven through ten, no radiation leaks as far as we can tell, there's still extensive damage on decks eleven through thirteen that we're still trying to gain control over." Ensign Erikson reported as he attempted to keep pace with me as we made our way across the walkway, taking time to stop to observe the core room as we did a checkover on what other officers had reported in that Ensign Erikson had documented for our records.

"Great…" I mumbled as I dismissed the Ensign before Chekov came to stand where the Erikson had once stood. "just great…"

Chekov handed me one of the datapads he was using to take into account more of the damage that wasn't reported, more importantly I wanted to know what was going on inside the warp core. This room is what I needed to be concerned about, because if something happens to it it can cost us our lives. As I looked over the pad I suddenly felt something flare up inside me starting from the center of my chest. I felt anger, pain, I couldn't breath…my whole body was filled with a murderous intent that I knew instantly that something had gone wrong.

My communicator came to life and without me looking or seeing where it was coming from I had answered without giving it a second thought only to hear Jim's groan and wheezing come through on the other end. "Captain?"

"Ally!" Jim wheezed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Captain! What's wrong?" I asked in a panic as I handed the device I was holding back to Chekov.

"It's Khan!" Jim coughed, sounding absolutely winded as he tried to keep his breathing even. "It's Khan! He's gone rogue!"

"Put me through!" I pleaded as I made my way to a more quieter area in the engineering room.

"You're good! You're good to go!" Jim responded as I heard in the background a painful yell that grew even louder the longer I waited to talk.

"Khan…?"

* * *

I felt ashamed. Out of everything this man had put me through, everything this man had done and had cost me…I let my anger get the best of me not because of all the troubles I'd gone through, but because he had insulted a woman I had met just hours ago.

I was going to take great pleasure in squashing this man's head between my hands, the more pressure I applied the more the man in front of me began to scream. All that was spoken to me back on the Enterprise was forgotten as I simply concentrated on the task at hand…nothing was going to stop me. Not anymore…not this time.

"Khan…?" the pressure I was applying eased at the sudden voice I heard. The voice that belonged to that woman who put so much trust in me. "Khan, I don't know what's going on, but if Jim decided to call me then I can only guess what's happening. I can't tell what exactly it is you're doing, but if I were to guess? You're about to kill Marcus with your own hands. All that anger I felt, Khan, let it go. We aren't judges and executioners."

I turned my head slightly to where Kirk was standing to see him holding out his communicator toward me.

"I had asked Jim to call me if things got out of control. I trust you Khan to do what's right. Let him answer for his crimes just as we discussed, it's what we all want." Her voice came through, reminding and pleading with me. "Khan, let Jim take care of Marcus."

I contemplated my options, on one hand I could end this man's life and the other part of me imagined the disappointed look on the woman's face. The first would give me a brief moment of bliss, but the latter I concluded, after I took some time to really think about it, would haunt me every waking moment. Her brown doe like eyes staring up at me, seeing for the first time what a monster I was. I decided that I couldn't deal with being greeted by such an expression on that woman's face the moment we return back to the Enterprise. "Please, Khan…"

I was angry, but I reluctantly let Marcus go. Shoving the man away and toward Kirk, putting enough distance between him and the escape pod before motioning for Kirk to hand over his communicator.

"Are we good?" Kirk hesitantly asked as he seemed to back away just a bit when I made a move to get closer to the breathless Kirk.

"Hand over the communicator." I motioned to the groveling man in front of me. "I've grown bored of dealing with this man…he's all yours Kirk."

Kirk motioned for the man who had his phaser still trained on me to move closer to Marcus, ordering the Scottish man to turn his weapon on the Admiral before tossing his communicator to me. I caught it with ease in one hand before stepping out of the way for Kirk to take over and moved closer to the viewscreen.

"The situation is under control." I reported into the communicator. "There's nothing for you to worry about."

"I wasn't worried." The woman on the other end said, and I could physically hear the smile on her face. "I trusted you to do the right thing."

"Yet you had Kirk call you in case I stepped out of line." I sighed. "To control me..."

"I had him call because I knew you'd need help, it wasn't because I didn't trust you and I didn't want to use that type of control on you Khan but I did it to help you. Being so close to someone who's caused so much pain…even the most virtuous man would slip if they didn't have someone to support them." She had said to me. "I'm positive you were keeping your word, until Marcus said something to push you over the edge."

"The effect you have on me, I want you to stay away from me." I warned, though I found there wasn't much of a threat to backup my warning, as I looked on in boredom as Kirk and Scott talked amongst themselves.

"Once this is over, I promise to stay far away from you." The woman said. "Thank you, Khan."

"You've thanked me enough since we've met, Commander." I shook my head before Kirk waved his hand to me.

"I gotta get in touch with the Enterprise." Kirk said as he went over to the captain's chair, motioning for me to come closer. "Let them know that we're okay."

"The ship functions just as a normal starship." I motioned toward one of the buttons on the captain's chair. "You can get in touch with your precious ship by simply pressing that button."

* * *

I was impatient, what was going on on that ship. Was the captain okay? Had Khan done something to prevent them from taking over the ship? I had stopped my pacing and went over to the pilot's station. "Where is the Captain, Mister Sulu?"

"Our sensor arrays' are down, sir. I can't find him." Sulu reported as he continued working at his station.

The viewscreen behind me came to life and I saw the Captain fidgeting with something on one of the console's, his back was toward us as he continued pushing buttons. "I think I established communication with the Enterprise."

"Yes, Captain. You're live." Khan's voice called as I saw from the far back corner standing off to the side, Khan watching the captain struggle with the new consoles of an unknown ship.

"You know, you could help me." Jim was flustered as he looked back at Khan who simply shrugged his shoulders as he held a communicator in his hands close to his chin.

"I could," Khan stated. "but I'm not the captain."

"Captain." I called in relief.

"Spock, hey." Jim smiled in relief. "I'd call this a successful mission, wouldn't you say?"

"That remains to be seen…" I stated as I cautiously looked back to Khan. "everything went according to plan?"

"A few hiccups, but Admiral Marcus is in custody…the ship's crew indisposed and tied up. The Vengeance is under our command." Jim let out a relieved laugh. "Damage report on the Enterprise, Spock?"

"I'm still here!" Allyson's voice called from the other end and I looked at Jim in mild curiosity as Khan glanced down at the communicator in his hands.

"I'll tell you about it later." Jim brushed me off before motioning for Khan to step forward and bring the communicator along with him. "Ally? Want to give us a damage report on my ship?"

"May as well ask me since I'm in the engine room!" Allyson said and I watched as Jim reached out for the communicator only for Khan to hold it away from him. Khan gave Jim a warning stare before Jim held his hands up in defense. "We're still a fair distance from Earth, I will not suggest using our warp functions. We've done damage control on a few of the levels, but we're still working on repairs to the bottom levels. Along with all that? We're dealing with what we were previously working on before Marcus started attacking us."

"Comms are down, we can't contact Starfleet." Nyota reported.

"This ship's communication station is still in working order." Khan added in.

"We can use the Vengeance to contact Starfleet? Ask for some assistance in repairing the Enterprise?" Allyson suggested. "Can't really take the Vengeance back to Earth, one because I'm sure Starfleet wouldn't know about this ship if Marcus kept everything on the down low. And two if the Enterprise comes under attack, then the Vengeance would need to protect us."

"I'll explain to Starfleet what happened here." Jim said before he looked expectantly to Khan. "I'd like my communicator back."

"I think I'll keep it for now." Khan stated as he turned his back to face one of the console's that was behind him. "You can use this to get in contact with Starfleet."

"Due to the Enterprise being unstable, is there any way for the Vengeance to beam aboard the crew from our ship to yours for safety?" I had asked. "Like they had done with Doctor Marcus?"

"A possibility, yes." Khan answered before Jim could respond. "I can begin working on getting a few members beamed aboard."

"Show me which console can contact Starfleet, then go about bringing my crewman aboard." Jim said. "Spock, alert all levels on what's being planned."

"Understood, Captain." I nodded, but as I was about to follow through with my orders on our screen red warning signs started to flash as alarms started to sound all around the Enterprise.

Sulu started to move on his station before he frantically informed us what was the cause for the alarms. "We have phasers locking on to us! Coming from the Vengeance, Captain!"

* * *

"From our ship?" I asked before our connection with the Enterprise cut off and I saw the Enterprise being bombarded by weapons that were coming from this ship. From where Khan was standing we heard Ally let out a yell as the ship was rocketed to the side. "No!"

I took a glance around, who had issued an attack I wondered and I started to panic when I saw Marcus had inched his way toward one of the console's. While we were busy coming up with a plan to repair our ship and send for help, Marcus had shuffled his way to one of the consoles that controlled the weapons, took aim to target the Enterprise and shot everything this ship had onto our ship. "Get him off the console!"

Khan was the first to react, and for a split second I thought he would kill the man. If I were honest, it was what I would've done right at this moment, Marcus was testing his luck and I feared it was about to run out. But instead of killing him, Khan had raised his fist, reared back and gave a good hard punch to the side of Marcus's face successfully knocking the man out. 'Maybe…Allyson was right after all.'

"Enterprise!" I tried to reestablish communication with my ship. "Enterprise, do you copy!" There was no answer. "Dammit!"

"The shields are at six percent." Khan read off his findings as he opened my communicator. "DeLuca." Khan gave Ally a moment to reply before he tried to get back into contact with her communicator. "DeLuca, answer me."

 _ **"** **Jesus Christ, what was that!"**_ Allyson's voice, finally coming through, screamed as from behind we could hear the alarms blaring loudly on the ship's speakers.

"Marcus opened fire on the Enterprise!" I responded as I went over to Khan's side. "What's going on over there, Ally?"

 _ **"** **Nacelles were hit, more damage…to the ship…"**_ There was a sound of machinery powering down before Ally's voice started to shutter, her voice dropped and cracked. _**"** **the...the um...the central power grid is failing, auxiliary power is failing…we've lost stability of the ship, Jim. The Enterprise is caught in the Earth's gravity."**_

 _ **"** **Clear the area!"**_ I heard Chekov yell close to Ally.

 _ **"** **Captain, our warp core is offline."**_ Allyson informed. _**"** **Gravity systems are failing, and the ships spiraling out of control."**_

_"_ _Attention, all decks. Evacuation protocols initiated. Proceed to exit bays and report to your assigned shuttle._ _"_

"There won't be time for evacuation if they don't get power to stabilize the damn ship!" Scotty called as he came to stand on the other side of Khan. "Lass, Ally! Even if you get the warp core online, you've still got to redirect the power! You'd have to hit the manual override."

 _ **"** **Chekov! There's a switch behind the deflector dish!"**_ Ally, already seeing where Scotty's thoughts were headed, ordered Chekov.

 _ **"** **I'll flip the switch!"**_ Chekov yelled as the rushing of wind came through the communicator signaling to us that Ally was now running in the direction we assumed was the computer to get the warp core online. There was the sound of distant screams going in and out of earshot before Ally, through huffs, called back to us. _**"** **Is there anything you can do to assist in evacuation, Jim?"**_

I looked over to Khan who shook his head. "It's a fast moving target, falling faster than this ship can react. I won't be able to beam everyone to safety before the Enterprise collides and crashes down to Earth."

"Ally-"

 _ **"** **I heard!"**_ Ally huffed, completely out of breath from all the running. _**"** **We best get this ship flying then…"**_ We listened as Ally tried to catch her breath, it had sounded like she stopped running before her voice came through a bit wobbly. _**"…** **I've made it to the main computer, give me a few minutes…I'm going offline."**_

"Good luck Ally." I said before my TIC cut off communication as from the Vengeance I watched my ship fall, I was anxious…I felt helpless. I couldn't do anything to help my crew and my friends while being on this ship. I had to trust that Ally and Chekov could pull off this task, and we were pressed for time.

"Is there really nothing we can do from here…" I whispered in despair as Carol came to stand beside me.

"Commander DeLuca knows what she's doing." Carol assured as she reached out to place her hand over mine, the very hand that was tapping anxiously on the console I was leaning against.

"She's a clever girl." I heard Khan say as I turned around to see him plop down into the captain's chair, beginning to pilot the ship closer to Earth. "She'll save your crew and mine."

"A few minutes ago, you didn't trust her." I shot back, though immediately I wanted to take it back, I was lashing out for no reason and it wasn't necessary.

"Yes, and now she's the only one I can trust to accomplish such an impossible task." Khan responded as he continued to tap the buttons on the captain's chair. "That's what Mate's do right? They trust each other?"

* * *

"We best get this ship flying then…" I said as I held my communicator close to my chest. When I got to my intended destination I felt my heart sink at what was blinking on the screen in front of me. "…I've made it to the computer, give me a few minutes…I'm going offline."

 _ **"** **Good luck Ally."**_ I heard Jim barely get out before I shut my communicator and leaned on the machinery in front of me, staring at the flashing words on the screen.

 **"Core misaligned. Danger."** A female's voice repeated over and over as I saw on the computer screen the diagram of the core with the bottom casing askew.

"Shit…" I cursed, we can't redirect the power with the housings misaligned...there's nothing else we could do. This ship was dead, and so were we. What do I do? What would Jim do? Spock?

And then I thought back to what Ambassador Spock had said, he had risked his life for his crew to fix the warp core. It was exactly what was happening now, and if this is something Spock would've done…then it's the only way. Fixed points will happen, and instead of Spock…I'm in the position to make this decision. There were people still on board the Enterprise that was falling down to Earth. My friends, my family, and Khan's family.

_"My crew is my family, Kirk. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"_

_"I would die for the safety of my family, Khan."_

Khan would take on entire systems to protect those he held dear to his heart, he declared war on Starfleet at the mere thought that they had killed his crew without needing proof. He'd do anything and so would I.

As long as I am still alive and kicking his crew and mine would be safe!

I went over to the door that would allow me access into the very heart of the ship, the radioactive symbol instilling a bit of fear that caused my heart to drop before I urged myself to start inputting the sequence that would open the door. The keypad flashes green, giving me the all clear and as I reached for the handle I hesitated.

'If I don't do it, everyone will die...' I gave myself some form of encouragement, but nothing ever helps when you're faced with something like this. No one is ever ready when the time comes. 'you've gotta be strong Ally. For Leonard…and for Khan.' I thought as I pulled the handle, and just as the doors opened I quickly shuffled my way inside and shut the door behind me.

The moment I entered the chamber the effects became instant, I could feel my breathing become erratic and for a second I thought my body would collapse. 'Your Mates…' I suddenly thought, keeping them in mind as a source of motivation to continue forward. 'do it for them…be as strong as them, for them…'

There was another door that needed another sequence of numbers, and when I inputted the correct numbers the door leading to a shaft opened up to allow me to crawl through the access tunnels.

When my hands touched one of the metal walls I felt my skin begin to burn. "Keep going…" I chanted to myself as I kept crawling on my hands and knees. "don't stop!"

What felt like hours of agonizing pain, and a never ending tunnel, I finally made it to the other side. If I wasn't dying from the radiation I would've been in awe at what I was seeing, but I needed to act fast. No time to stare and admire at the beauty that was in the center of such a magnificent ship.

There was flashing red lights, electricity crackling from the misaligned core, and I was at the bottom…I realized that I needed to climb higher. As I made my way to the higher levels, closer to the core, I saw lacerations start to show on my hands…my skin was burning away.

On the very top of the thick cord I took just a second to breathe. The closer I got to the warp core the more the radiation was taking its toll on me…speeding up the process. I could only hope that what I was feeling wasn't enough to ripple back to Leonard or Khan. We weren't at that stage, at least I hoped, because I didn't want them to feel this pain. The suffocation, the burning, the aches.

'Keep on climbing Ally!' I thought as I pulled myself up and closer to my target. When I got to the very top, I felt my energy slowly leaving me. My legs almost caved under me when I went to stand in front of the core. 'Don't fail me now! Just give me a little more…energy to do this.' I pleaded.

I reached up to grab a hold of the bar that was above the core, and gave the bottom half a huge kick, channeling what remaining energy I had left into each kick. All the desperation, the willpower, the fight going into each powerful attempt and I got excited when I saw that the core started to move.

'A few more…' I pleaded to whoever would hear me. 'just give me the strength to do a few more. For my friends…' I thought as I gave a kick. 'my crew…' Another kick. 'my family…' It was almost there! I was growing tired, but I almost got it! One last kick! "For my Mates!"

One final, hard kick to the bottom part of the warp core caused it to get into alignment with the top half. At the connection a huge blast of energy flared up and threw me off the warp core, my back hitting one of the tubes on the way down before my body slammed down on the bottom level, the connection I made with the tube had flipped my body to cause me to land face up. When I saw the bright light and the sound of the ship coming to life I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Warp core is back online!" Sulu yelled above the noise.

"Maximum thrusters, Mister Sulu!" Spock ordered.

The engines started to spurt to life as Sulu gave all that his station could offer. "Thrusters at maximum! Stand by! Stand by!"

The ship was falling fast, and the crew could only hope that the ship would respond in time to catch their falling ship and rise.

The Enterprise dropped past the layers of cloud before the engines finally responded, groaning at the sudden use of power coursing through the machinery before rising above the clouds. Another brush with death, and the Enterprise miraculously pulled through by the skin of their teeth.

"Shields restored!"

"Commander, power online."

"Mister Spock, altitude stabilizing." Sulu reported just as all the other stations were doing the same.

"It's a miracle." Darwin said in relief as Spock began to undo his emergency lockdown, the seatbelts that kept him in place retracting as he responded with slight worry feeling that something was off. He was...supposed to die here, right? "There are no such things."

 _ **"** **Engineering to Bridge! Commander Spock!"**_ Chekov's voice called in a panic.

"Mister Chekov?" Spock answered curiously.

 _ **"** **Commander Spock! I cannot find Commander DeLuca!"**_ Chekov reported.

"What do you mean?" Spock asked.

_**"** **She had gone off to bring the warp core back online, but she is nowhere to be found, sir!"** _

A sense of dread filled Spock as he immediately got up from his chair, racing off the bridge, and in the process almost running into his Mate. But he had no time to inform her what the problem was, he knew he needed to get to the engineering room quickly.

Spock ran, he had a sick feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, and the feeling only got worse the closer he got to the engineering room.

"Commander!" Chekov yelled to get Spock's attention.

Spock ran over to where Chekov was standing, gradually slowing down as he saw the boy standing beside the computer that was located beside the warp core. Chekov reached out and placed a communicator into Spock's hands. "This is her communicator, Commander…"

There was the sound of a door closing that caught the attention of both men who turned to look in the direction where the sound had come from. Without waiting for Chekov to say anything, Spock had ran toward the door that led into the heart of the ship.

As Spock looked into the door the image that greeted him took him by surprise, huddled on the opposite side of the glass door was the outline of a woman. A familiar mustard yellow uniform could be seen in the dark lit room and Spock had hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was. And when he spoke, his voice cracked. "…Commander DeLuca…?"

* * *

My body hurt. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, I could barely see…things looked like balls of shadows. I was surprised that I was even able to crawl my way back to the door, but I knew my strength was leaving me.

"…Commander DeLuca…?"

I knew that voice. I lifted my head, just a bit to where I thought the voice had come from and I saw the light coming from the engine room along with a dark figure standing in front of it. "Spock…?"

"Open the door." Spock called to whoever was behind him, though I couldn't really see who.

"Decontamination process isn't complete…" My breathing stuttered as I mustered enough courage to shuffle closer to the door. "…any attempt would flood the compartment with radiation…"

"Allyson," Spock called, his voice seemed so far away.

"Hey now, none of that." I chuckled though immediately regretting it as I felt my chest pulse in pain. "I may not be able to see very well, but I can hear it in your voice. None of that…" I leaned my head against the metal doorframe. "is everyone safe?"

"Both crews and ship." Spock responded as I groaned in pain. "Hold on just a little longer Allyson, we'll get you out of there."

"I'm sorry Spock, I can't beat the decontamination process." I shook my head with a smile. "Care to listen to a dying woman's last words?"

I thought I saw the shadow of Spock shake, but I simply continued on.

"I hope you and Jim play nice in my absence. You two are friends, and it shows when Ambassador Spock speaks so highly of his glory days. The adventures he's been on with his captain… with Jim and that grumpy doctor. The Enterprise…needs you two, she needs each and every one of you, and I can't be there to keep the peace anymore." I said as I stared back at what I hoped was where Spock's eyes were. "And tell Jim, that Khan deserves a fair trial…make sure his crew is kept safe as promised. And tell Jim...to make sure Leonard doesn't close in on himself and relapse, he's gonna need his friends now more than ever." I was getting so very tired and I couldn't help but laugh as I rested my eyes. "How cliche can I be…"

"I will...inform the Captain." I heard Spock whisper. "This isn't supposed to happen…"

"No, but it seemed…logical. I wasn't on the Enterprise in Ambassador Spock's timeline…maybe our timeline is correcting itself? It seemed only right that it be me…" I smiled. "If there's one thing I'm grateful about being born as a DeLuca, it was their continuous lessons that prepared us to never fear death." I groaned as I moved my arms, turning my wrists face up, and when all I saw was the shadow outline of my hands I gave a shuddered sigh. "I wish I could at least see them one last time. The one thing that gave me comfort in my youth, can't give me comfort now." My chest started to hurt. "I'm not scared, but I feel…sad. Sad that I won't be able to go on the adventures that Ambassador Spock said we had a lot to look forward to."

* * *

There was a sad smile on Allyson's face, a single tear falling from the corner of her eye as Spock watched Allyson take one final breath before watching her chest still.

"Commander DeLuca?" Spock whispered with a bit of hope that she would respond as he felt a few tears fall from his eyes. "Allyson…"

Allyson was a great friend to have by his side throughout his academy years, all the times she offered comfort and counseling to the Vulcan even if it was just in the form of silence. She took her free time and gave it freely to those that needed it, he was very grateful to have met her and formed a type of sibling-like bond. Spock can honestly say that he not only lost a friend, but from the pain in his chest it was as if he had lost another family member.

Spock wished it to be all but a bad dream, but the reality was that Allyson had given her life for the crew…both crews aboard this ship, and it was Spock's duty along with Jim to break the news to her Mates.

For a brief moment, Spock had allowed his emotions consume him, he gave himself a few minutes to mourn before covering his eyes with his hand and took a deep breath. An attempt to control himself to be able to carry out what needed to be done next.

"Establish contact with Captain Kirk." Spock said as he carefully got to his feet, turning to see his Mate with tears in her eyes and saw that Chekov had gone to sit on one of the chairs by the computer, his face buried in his arms to cover his own tears as the boys shoulders shook. It would be difficult, Spock knew, but it had to be done…they had to work through their emotions to do their duty for Allyson. "Nyota…we need to get in touch with the Captain." Spock walked up to his Mate and when he was close enough she had leaned in to place her head on Spock's chest, wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. Silent sniffles came from Nyota and Spock carefully copied what Nyota had done to comfort his Mate. "Doctor McCoy…and Khan needs to know."

* * *

The Vengeance had been following the Enterprise close behind, and when it had vanished through the clouds those on board were watching anxiously on the edge of their seats. Waiting and praying that Allyson had restored power to the warp core.

And when the Enterprise had finally risen, everyone present aside from Khan who only smiled, let out a gleeful and triumphant yell.

"Commander DeLuca did it!" Carol cheered as she threw her arms around Jim.

"Talk about really cutting it close!" Jim said as he returned the hug. "Khan, can you hail the Enterprise?"

Khan, though not liking being told what to do, simply pressed a button on the captain's chair and they instantly got connected with Sulu answering.

"Mister Sulu!" Jim smiled at seeing a familiar face, though he had expected to be greeted by Spock. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone's okay, it's a miracle Captain." Sulu began to inform Jim that power across the ship had been restored and Jim could only continue laughing.

"Where's Spock?" Jim asked.

"He was called to Engineering, Captain." Sulu informed Jim.

While Sulu continued to report the condition of the Enterprise Scotty, who was standing beside Khan's chair, noticed something odd happening to the augment.

"Khan? You all right?" Scotty asked.

Khan didn't know why, he was relieved that his crew had been saved, but tears started to fall from his eyes. Something was wrong even if everything turned out fine in the end, what was there a second ago had suddenly gone missing as he placed his hand over his heart. "I…I don't know."

In Khan's hand, Jim's communicator whirred to life and Khan had immediately answered with urgency.

 _ **"** **Captain."**_ Spock's voice came through bringing Jim's attention away from the viewscreen and toward Khan at the sound of Spock's voice. _**"** **You and Khan are needed back on the Enterprise."**_

From Spock's tone of voice, for the first time Khan was genuinely concerned. Why was he needed back on the Enterprise?

* * *

'Have I mentioned that I absolutely hate space!' Leonard thought as he collapsed in on himself on one of the medbay work benches. He felt something crawling up his throat before he took a big gulp in an attempt to push the feeling down. 'I think I'm going to be sick…'

"Doctor McCoy," One of Leonard's nurses came to his side. "if you're feeling fit to continue working, we could really use some help with patients that need your urgent attention."

"Works never done I suppose…" Leonard grumbled to himself as he got up from his chair, but the moment Leonard got to his feet his body began to stagger. His hands flailing as he tried to find something to catch himself causing him to push a few equipment off the desks that were in his way.

"Doctor McCoy!" The nurse called in alarm as she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder to steady his body, guiding him back into the chair he previously sat on. "Are you all right, sir? Do you need medical assistance?"

"No, I-" Leonard began to say before he felt a lump begin to form in his throat as his voice cracked.

"Doctor McCoy! You're crying!" The nurse yelled as she stopped another passing nurse. "Fetch me a tricorder! Sir? Where are you hurt?"

"I'm not hurt, dammit!" Leonard exclaimed, his voice shaking as he placed his hand over his heart, bunching up the fabric of his shirt as he clenched his hand. "Just…give me a moment, please."

Something had happened, something was suddenly cut off from him, and the more he tried to search for a reason…the more he found that the tears would not stop the more he searched. He felt like a piece of himself had vanished, and there was an empty spot in its place that Leonard couldn't medically explain.

"Give me a few minutes Nurse…" Leonard muttered as he carefully got back to his feet and made his way to his office. Just before he closed his door he made sure to give some assurance to his staff. "I'm fine, I just need to be alone for a bit. I'll be out as soon as I've collected myself."

As soon as Leonard closed the door, he wasn't even able to make it to his desk before he collapsed against his office door and broke down in tears. He didn't even understand what brought on such negative emotions, but he knew that he couldn't put on a mask and continue working in the condition he was in. He wanted to know what the cause for it was, but then another part of him just didn't want to know…he didn't think his heart could handle whatever was causing this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When this whole project started, while it was simply a skeleton in my mind as I thought of ways to fill out the body to be able to incorporate my dear OC Allyson well, I knew I always wanted this to happen. Why?...you'd just have to wait for the next chapter!


	23. The Influence of SoulMarks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I apologize for skipping a week, for some reason my left arm (elbow to my hand) was throbbing in pain that prevented me from typing (it was really bad, hot patches and soaking it in hot water helped). Second! I was busy trying to get a PS5 (sadly, our hunt is still ongoing). Third! Been waiting for my KH MoM to come in to play so it's been a wild week! But I am here and back! Thank you for all the love and support!

"Why are you here Khan?" Leonard mumbled from where he sat, tapping impatiently on a free space on his desk.

"Because your Captain had asked me to wait for him in your office." Khan stated from where he was leaning by the only door leading in and out of the office. His eyes staring unblinking back at Leonard which only seemed to create more anxiety in the doctor then he already had.

"I don't feel safe being alone here with you, I'd appreciate it if you would wait outside for Jim to return." Leonard commented, trying to be as civil as possible, causing the corner of Khan's lips to twitch.

"Do I bother you, **Doctor**?" Khan asked, putting emphasis on his position each time he said it. "Do I scare you?"

"You're no scarier than a box of kittens." Leonard mocked.

"Then are you bothered because the woman you love has now found her Mate?" Khan made an pointed comment aimed solely at the agitated doctor which caused Leonard's body to coil as his hazel eyes turned onto Khan.

"Yeah, the woman I love has found her Mate, but I'm not bothered at all that it's you." Leonard said as he ground his teeth together. "I know she will still love me."

"Do you think so?" Khan asked. "From what I know of SoulMarks, you're only born with one…and seeing that she has my name I highly doubt she'd still be with you after all this is over. And even if she does stay with you, she'll always be thinking about me and doesn't that thought just unnerve you… **Doctor**?"

"She never told you did she?" Leonard smirked, taking great joy in knowing something that the man in front of him didn't.

"Didn't tell me what?" Khan glared at Leonard.

"It's not my place." Leonard shrugged his shoulders which caused Khan to advance onto Leonard, grabbing Leonard by the collar of his shirt before he could blink and pulled him across the desk.

"You will tell me what I don't know about my Mate, Doctor McCoy." Khan threatened as Leonard stood to challenge the augment.

"Or what?" Leonard ground out as he yanked his collar free out of Khan's grip. "You harm me, you'll find Allyson will never be able to look at you the same again."

"And why would I care how she views me?" Khan leaned closer to Leonard.

"Because she's your Mate, you'll always care how she views you, and you wouldn't want to ever disappoint Allyson." Leonard said and before things could escalate any further the door to Leonard's office slid open to reveal Jim with Spock following close behind.

"Good to see that you both are getting along." Jim sarcastically remarked as he entered the office, Spock stepped in and when the door closed the Vulcan had kept close to the door to make sure that no one would interrupt the conversation going on in this room.

"Jim," Leonard called, almost yelling, the moment Jim made himself known as he stomped around his desk and rushed up to Jim. "You order me to my office when I have patients that need my attention, alone maybe I could endure until you arrive." Leonard then pointed right at Khan. "But to send _him_ to wait in my office as well?"

"Bones…"

"And every time he speaks I just want to strangle him!" Leonard complained. "So, please Jim, explain why you've gathered us here-"

"Bones-"

"Because if it's not a good reason or an emergency, Jim, I need to go back out there and give some direction to my staff!"

" **Bones!** " Jim interjected, placing his hands on the angry doctor's shoulder, instantly trying to calm his friend down. "What's the matter with you? It can't just be because you and Khan were alone in this room that caused you to be so irritated."

Jim noted that his friend was more aggravated and short-tempered then he normally was, and that concerned him. The news he was holding onto was something the two men in the room needed to hear and prepare for with a clear mind, and Leonard needed to calm down immediately.

"I don't know Jim, I just…" Leonard sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "something just hasn't been sitting right with me since our ship was saved."

Leonard didn't see, but Khan took note of the exchange between Spock and Jim before the latter bit his lip as he patted his friends shoulder. "I need you to sit, Bones." Leonard looked at Jim with concern, but did as his friend asked him to after hearing how serious Jim sounded. Leonard went back over to the chair at his desk and slumped into his seat before Jim turned to look at Khan. "You may want to take a seat as well, Khan."

"I'm fine standing." Khan said as he leaned against Leonard's desk, simply to get on Leonard's nerves. "Why are we here, Kirk. You kept what you and Commander Spock spoke about a secret when he had contacted us on the Vengeance. So, what are you hiding?"

Jim let out a sigh as he placed his hands behind his back, his posture straight and tall, as he addressed both Khan and Leonard. "We're bringing in someone into the medbay, and we came to a decision that we needed to prepare the two of you before you see them." Jim could see that Leonard and Khan wanted to say something so Jim had quickly cut them off. "Please, allow me to finish before any questions are asked." Jim sent a stern look at both Leonard and Khan before continuing on. "While the Enterprise was falling, Allyson and Chekov had been in engineering to try and give power back to the Enterprise. To do that, Chekov had gone to hit the manual override while Allyson had gone to redirect the power. But there was a problem standing in their way…the core was misaligned, there would've been no way to redirect the power even with Chekov hitting the manual override switch."

"If the Enterprise was able to stabilize itself, then the core must've been realigned." Khan finished. "How."

Jim had trouble answering Khan's question. His mouth opened as if to answer, but closing each time he was close to getting the words out. Even Jim couldn't wrap his head around the news when Spock had broken it to him. He tried to deny such a tragedy, but it was only confirmed when he saw the body being rolled in and it broke his heart. He also knew that he had to tell the news to his best friend along with the man who helped save their ship. These were one of those times he didn't want to be a captain, but he knew it had to be done.

"Allyson…" Leonard said after seeing the inner struggle in his friend's eyes. "Jim, where's Allyson?"

"Allyson had…gone into the room to realign the core resulting in the restored power to the ship." Jim said and he didn't have to heart to look at the two men who simply stared back at him with expectantly.

"Then where is she right now?" Leonard was getting impatient, growing increasingly frustrated by the minute before Khan decided to speak his understanding.

"That room would've been filled with high radiation." Khan said, knowing full well how starships functioned, before Leonard immediately stood to his feet.

"Where's Allyson, Jim." Leonard commanded Jim to give him a straight answer concerning his Mate.

"Commander DeLuca…" Spock finally spoke up, assisting Jim in breaking the news to the two men in the room knowing that his captain was having a difficult time doing it alone. "had given her life to save everyone aboard the Enterprise. She had gone into the heart of the ship and realigned the core herself. Before the decontamination process could finish, Allyson had succumbed to the radiation poisoning."

"If this is your attempt at a joke, Spock, I don't appreciate it." Leonard's glare turned to Spock who simply stared back at Leonard with a solemn expression.

"I would never joke about this Doctor McCoy." Spock said. "While she was dying, she wasn't concerned about getting out of that room, she knew the process that needed to happen before we could open the doors to get her out. She was concerned about you and Khan, while also being concerned about everyone aboard the Enterprise. She was smiling as she accepted her fate."

"Don't you dare…" Leonard growled.

"Bones." Jim warned his friend. "Just before she died, Allyson asked me to take care of you two. To make sure that Khan got a fair trial, and that you…Bones, didn't go through this alone. To make sure you didn't fall off the deep end." Jim rubbed his face, exhausted and just as affected by his friend's death as those that got the news just a few seconds ago. "I thought I'd assemble you two and warn you what's out there instead of being caught by surprise."

"Allyson…gave her life willingly so that we could live." Spock said before Leonard had had enough, he didn't want to hear anymore as he pushed past Jim and Spock, marching out of his office.

Hearing it was one thing, seeing it was another. Being told what was outside, to brace oneself could never prepare Leonard for what greeted him in his lab. Leonard was frozen in his spot as he stared at several officers in white protective radiation suits with a black body bag resting on one of their vacant medical tables.

"No…" Leonard whispered, repeating a single word several times, with a shake of his head as he slowly inched his way toward the body bag. "Jim…tell me that this is all just some sick joke. Please."

"I'm sorry, Bones." Jim apologized as he came to stand by his friend's side, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Open it…" Leonard pleaded after a while as he continued to stare down at the body bag.

"I don't think-" Jim started to say before Leonard turned his hazel eyes on to his friend, there were tears welling up in Leonard's eyes and when he started to speak it sounded like a large lump was stuck in the center of his throat threatening to spill out.

"I need to see her, Jim." Leonard's plea wobbled as he attempted to swallow the lump that continued to push its way up his throat. Leonard sucked in his bottom lip before turning back to look at the body bag.

Jim didn't want to do it, he knew how much it would break Leonard the moment he confirmed that Allyson was indeed dead, but he knew that Leonard deserved to see his Mate…him and Khan had every right to see Allyson.

As Jim gave the order, the closest officer that was dressed in one of the radiation suits moved to unzip the body bag. A loud breathy reaction came from Leonard as he tried to brace himself at the impact of simply seeing Allyson's face.

"Allyson…" Leonard's voice came out, barely above a whisper as he went over to her side. His hands were shaking as he reached out for her arm before instantly retracting them the second it came into contact with her skin, feeling every part of him breaking down when he felt how cold her body was.

Being in the medical field, Leonard wasn't a stranger to death, some would affect him to an extent but he knew he had to power through. Learn from his failures to be able to save the next person. Yet, the moment Leonard's eyes fell on Allyson's body the man had shut down. Leonard didn't know what to do with himself, but he now had an answer to where the sudden emotions he felt not too long ago had come from. It was the feeling of his SoulMate dying. His body knew, felt it, the very moment that Allyson had taken her last breath. His heart knew and reacted to the loss before he even knew why. If this is what losing a SoulMate felt like, he never wanted to care for another ever again.

Leonard couldn't say anything, he didn't want to talk to anyone…all he wanted to do was lock himself away from all prying eyes that were watching on with sympathy and keep on denying that his Mate had died. He only had a year with the woman, but she was such a beacon in his bleak world and to have another beautiful thing taken from him…he cursed the world. Whatever being was watching over him was so cruel. Giving him his SoulMate only to take her away from him, curse the world? Screw it, he wanted to curse the whole universe.

Leonard went over to sit at one of the lab desks, flopping into the chair as his shoulders sagged with a sigh as he placed his hand over his eyes to cover and prevent anyone from seeing the tears that began to fall. He was a doctor dammit! And…there was nothing in his power he could do for her anymore, and just thinking about that killed him.

There was a chirping sound coming from his left, it was annoying, and he really wanted it to shut up right now. But the chirping and the purring continued, and just as Leonard was about to push whatever was making those sounds off his table his eyes fell on the tribble that was in front of him moving and slowly breathing in life. A tribble that was supposed to be dead.

Leonard's equipment started to beep, showing the vital signs of the tribble that he's been observing, and when Leonard looked it over there was a spark of hope that ignited within him. "Get me a cryotube, now!" Leonard called for some of his nurses to bring forth the cryotube they had taken out of the torpedo casing back on the abandoned planet. While Carol jumped into action, injecting something into the side of Allyson's neck, they had brought forth the cryotube, aligning it beside Allyson and just before Leonard could input the sequence to open the tube Khan had stepped between the doctor and his crewmate.

"What are you planning to do with my crew, Doctor?" Khan asked Leonard and in response Leonard simply pushed Khan out of the way, inputted the sequence, and ignoring the underlying threat in Khan's words.

"Get this guy out of the cryotube. Keep him in an induced coma. We're gonna put Allyson inside." Leonard ordered before Khan gave a warning glare to any who stepped closer to the cryotube, preventing the nurses from doing their job.

"Anyone touches this tube, I promise I will separate your head from your body." Khan threatened.

"That tube is our only chance of preserving Allyson's brain function." Leonard argued before turning to the lone nurse that was slightly cowering under Khan's glare. "I'm ordering you, Nurse, to do as I command." The poor man was trapped between listening to his commanding officer or losing his life. "Khan, you will come with me."

"I will not go anywhere with you." Khan stated as he attempted to pull away from Leonard, hellbent on sticking close to the tube that held his crewmate before Leonard turned on Khan.

"Your platelets brought that tribble back to life, there's a chance that it could also bring Allyson back as well." Leonard growled.

"And why would I want her back?" Khan growled in response before hearing numbers being clicked behind him causing him to turn back to the way they came from. "I said step away from that cryotube!"

"You will listen to my orders, and my orders only!" Leonard yelled back before reaching out and grabbing Khan by the collar of his shirt. "Allyson is your SoulMate! If there is a chance, even a slim one, that I could save her I will take it! You should too!"

"She offered to give her life in exchange for my help to save your crew, I have done my part and she has upheld hers." Khan revealed part of what their conversation was back in the brig.

"But that's not what you want is it?" Leonard asked. "She said you've changed, that you value human life. She defended you in your absence, and I doubted her. So, prove me wrong and show me that you're different then what I've heard. She saved your crew as promised didn't she? So save her!"

"And why would you be so invested, concerned, about her being alive or dead?" Khan asked with a glare.

"Because!" Leonard almost blew his top, he was fed up with Khan wasting their time, the longer they waited the less the chance was slipping away. At least from behind Khan he saw that they were close to getting Allyson into the cryotube, they just needed Khan's blood to bring her back. Leonard grabbed Khan's forearm and started to drag the man over to Allyson's right side, he gently lifted her right sleeve and motioned for Khan to look down. "Because she's special to me as well! Allyson was born with two Marks and like it or not, superman, she's my Mate too!" Leonard stepped up to Khan, the two standing as close as possible as Leonard squared his shoulders. "You've felt it, just like I did. The moment of her passing you felt that absence, that emptiness, clear as day. Don't tell me you didn't. Would you really be happy she's gone? Contempt with that hole in your heart that will never be filled."

Khan didn't say anything, simply stared back at the doctor, down at where Allyson's right wrist was, and started to process the new information that Allyson did indeed have two names on her body.

"Willing or not, I will have your blood by the end of this. Every last drop if I have to just to bring her back." Leonard threatened bringing Khan's attention back to the doctor.

Was Khan content on just letting things be? The augment had to dig deep to find what he really wanted. Khan had said he wanted her dead, but the moment of first contact Khan will admit he was intrigued with Allyson. This woman was kind, trusting, and saw Khan not as a monster, but a good man even knowing what he's capable of. From what Khan was seeing on the expression of everyone present in this room she was very much loved and cared for. Such a reaction from this one woman's death, he wasn't sure if he wanted such a life to end. He knew, deep...deep down, he didn't mean what he said to Allyson back in the brig. He didn't want her life in exchange for his cooperation, he did know though that he owed this woman for saving his crew along with so much more. And Khan hoped that this little act of obedience and kindness from him would suffice…if only a little.

"What will it be, Khan?" Leonard asked impatiently. "Will you help me save our Mate? Or am I going to have to forcefully take your blood from you?"

"Doctor," Khan said as he reached out for Allyson's hand. "take all the blood you need."

* * *

I've heard it say that your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but for me? One moment I was talking to Spock, saying my final goodbye, remembering how the names of my Mate's on my wrist looked and the comfort they gave me before…nothing. I had closed my eyes as if I was going to sleep, and then…darkness.

And it was always nothing, until I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. Breathing felt foreign, blinking and adjusting to the lights coming in through the window felt strange, and when I tried to open my mouth my throat felt parched and dry.

'Where am I?' I thought as I started to look around the room, taking note that I was inside a hospital room with tubes connecting me to the machine that was beside my bed.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty." I heard a cheery voice call and when I looked toward where the voice came from I saw Jim dressed in our black Starfleet uniform approach my bed, his hat tucked under his arm as he sent a smile in my direction. "What you did was reckless and brave, I hope you know that. And I also hope you realize how lucky you are, Ally. It's not everyday that people get a second chance."

"What…happened?" I asked, my voice scratchy and low from not having used my vocal cords in a while causing me to wince in pain.

"You died, Ally…" Jim responded as he came over to sit on the edge of my bed, being extra careful not to touch the tubes that were connected to my arm. "if it wasn't for Khan's blood, and Bones quick thinking…you wouldn't be here talking to me right now."

"Khan's blood?" I asked Jim to which he nodded his head in confirmation.

"Transfusion, Khan's blood brought a dead tribble back to life so Bones took a chance in hopes that it would work on bringing you back by synthesizing a serum from his blood. They had a bit of a fight just before then, but it was thanks to your two Mate's cooperating that you're alive right now." Jim said. "Took a toll on your body though, you've been out for two weeks."

"Where's Leonard and Khan?" I asked.

"I ordered Bones to take a little trip to the cafeteria. The old man hasn't had any decent sleep or food in the two weeks you were out. As for Khan?" Jim nodded his head to my left and when I turned my head to look in the direction he motioned to I saw Khan sitting on one of the visitors chairs. His head was leaning against the window, his arms folded across his chest and even as he slept he looked prepared for any kind of attack. "The other old man hasn't left your side either, though I couldn't very much order him to leave. He was very insistent on not leaving till you woke up…he'd never say that out loud though. You had your own personal guard dog much to Bones's displeasure." Jim reached out to pat my hand. "The crew would want to see you now that you're awake. Everyone's been worried sick about you, asking constantly about the status of your recovery."

"I can't wait to see them all." I groaned as I tried to move my body. "God, I've been out for two weeks, but my body feels like it's been years since I've used it…"

"Don't you dare try and move." Jim and myself turned to see a disheveled Leonard walk back into the room holding a cupholder that held three steaming cups of what smelled like coffee. Leonard went over and kicked Khan's foot, alerting the augment who jumped at the slightest attack before Leonard reached out to hand him one of the cups. "Here. Drink. Allyson's awake." Leonard then shoved the cupholder into Jim's hands. "The moment I leave, she wakes up. I'm never letting you convince me to leave again."

"Sorry Bones." Jim smiled as he graciously took a sip from his cup. "Filled her in on what happened after the warp core incident back on the ship."

Leonard hummed as he held a scanner over my face, not bothering to look at me as he continued to work and I instantly knew he was angry at me.

"What else have I missed while I was out" I asked as I kept as still as possible, not wanting to anger Leonard anymore then he already was.

"Well…long story short to avoid any tedious details: when we returned to Earth we had a lot of explaining to do about why we were in possession of an unmarked federation ship. They reviewed our ship's log, took all testimonies, and came to a unanimous decision. Admiral Marcus was court-martialed and imprisoned. Khan was put under watch by Starfleet and awaited his own trial. It took long hours of debates before they came to a decision, they wanted to put their full attention on this matter. Khan's trial lasted longer than Marcus's did." Jim said.

"What happened?" I asked before Jim gave me a sympathetic look.

"More testimonies were taken, more meetings were convened, and…the higher-ups deemed that his crew at this current time is too dangerous to awaken. They're keeping them in a safe and secure room, as for Khan…they had sentenced him to go back into cryogenic slumber. They deemed him unsafe to keep awake…for now. Maybe a hundred years from now they may wake him up for some form of redemption, but for now the decision stands. They cannot afford to have him awake after the damage he's done." Jim said.

"What!" I exclaimed in a panic. "That's not right, Jim. He's not dangerous…he wouldn't-" I started to defend before coughing after I had suddenly used the full extent of my voice. Having attempted to use my voice normally had put a strain on my throat causing Leonard to hand me a cup of water while rubbing my back to help me work through my coughing fit.

"Kirk, I'd appreciate it if you didn't cause any unnecessary stress to the patient." Khan said before he turned his eyes back to me. "Due to testifying against Marcus and his operation, assisting in helping the Enterprise and Starfleet along with saving the life of one Commander DeLuca, and because I hadn't murdered anyone in this day and age my sentencing wasn't as harsh. I still have to answer for the sins of my past, but they have come up with another alternative."

"With a few strings being pulled by myself and Ambassador Spock, our words weighed heavily on their decision in the end, Khan's sentencing was reduced. If he served time aboard a Starship, learned some humility and the values all lives have in the universe…if he can gain that understanding Starfleet may consider reviving his crew for him to pass on his lessons and knowledge along with finding a suitable planet they can cultivate on in the future." Jim nodded his head.

"What ship will Khan serve under?" I whispered, feeling a bit discouraged at the thought of being separated from Khan. I wanted to get to know Khan more, he was my other Mate after all, but being lightyears away would give me less opportunities to talk to the man.

"No captain would dare take on an augment that could easily overtake the ship along with overpowering it's captain and crew." Leonard said before mumbling to himself. "No sane captain at least."

"Don't look so sad, Ally." Jim assured. "With the knowledge that an Allyson DeLuca is the person who changed Khan, he has been assigned to carry out his sentencing aboard the USS Enterprise...so long as you're there."

* * *

I was thankful to see the pupils behind Ally's eyelids move, even more so that she was starting to respond to the things around her. I was ecstatic when her eyes finally opened! Though she was a bit disoriented and her breathing erratic, she was alive, and I was forever thankful for that.

She also deserved the bit of scare after the shock she gave us, especially with Bones and Khan. I thought they were going to go at each other's throat back on the Enterprise, weapons would be firing off along with sharp objects being sent flying. I feared that Spock and myself would've had to step in and intervene in order to separate them, but to my surprise Khan and Bones had set their argument aside to help save Ally's life.

"And! Some good news after everything settled." I said as I scooted forward on Ally's bed. "Admiral Pike pulled through, there were some dodgy days where they thought they were going to lose him, but he's a fighter through and through. They said that you being there that day gave him the extra time he needed to continue fighting. He's now in a wheelchair permanently, his voice is a little shot...not sure how that happened. Bunch of medical stuff I don't really understand, but his outlook on life is still strong. He can't physically be in the field anymore, but I think personally he may take up Marcus's position and become head of Starfleet."

"That's great news!" Ally smiled. "Hopefully when I get out of here I can go and see him."

"Some bad news, your family hasn't come to visit you." I said and I was again surprised when Ally simply shrugged her shoulders at the 'bad news'.

"I wasn't counting on them to show up." Ally brushed it off as if it wasn't a concern or a surprise. "They'd only show up to my funeral service."

"Jim," Bones called my name, interrupting my conversation with Ally as I turned to Bones and the look on my friends face caused a jolt of fear to run through my body. Last time I felt this way was when I had purposely missed my monthly checkup, though…this stare may be worse than that. "do you mind leaving us for a bit? We have some things to discuss with Ally."

He didn't have to tell me twice to leave, I knew when the right time to joke was and when it was the wrong time, and with Khan giving me the exact same stare I knew I wouldn't win or live if I muttered something they found not to their liking. I sent Ally an apologetic smile, and in return she looked like she was begging me not to leave her alone with them. Guess even she knew the trouble she was currently in.

I placed my hat back on my head before turning to leave. 'Good luck, Ally.'

I closed the door behind me before almost bumping into the person who was just about to walk into Ally's hospital room.

"Captain." Spock greeted the second I composed myself. Nyota had been coming to visit almost daily with Spock tagging along and in her arms she held a bouquet of flowers to replace the wilted ones that were currently in Ally's room. "I'm assuming Doctor McCoy chased you out again?"

"He did, but it's because Ally finally woke up." I smiled as I saw Nyota smile in return, her eyes welled up with happy tears as she hugged the flowers in her arms. I didn't realize how close Ally and Nyota had gotten till now.

When Nyota and Spock made to step around me, I had to quickly stop them. "I-I would wait, give them a few minutes alone. Khan and Bones wished to speak to Ally."

"Will they be okay alone in there?" Nyota asked me as I turned to look back at the door.

"If things get out of hand, Ally's there to control them." I assured myself though I was more concerned about Ally then I was about Bones and Khan going at each other again.

* * *

"Allyson," Leonard clicked his tongue as he came to sit to the right side of me, reaching out to grab my hand and when he came into contact with mine I could feel it shaking as he squeezed. I returned the gesture to help settle whatever was going through his mind before he started to speak. "you died Allyson, and I-I never want to see that ever again. I've seen so many deaths in my line of work, but seeing your body just laying there unmoving…my whole body shut down." I could hear how broken Leonard was, how traumatized he must've been and I wish I could take away such painful memories. "If it wasn't for Khan giving his blood-"

"Blood that you would've taken willingly or not." Khan interjected as Leonard simply glared that augment that sat to my left.

"Yes, because I wanted to save **our** Mate, something you should've just agreed to without threatening the lives of my nurses." Leonard shot back at Khan. "I would've knocked you out even if you didn't agree to give your blood." Leonard then turned his glare back to me. "And you agreeing to put your life, dictate if you live or not, just so this madman would help us was a stupid agreement. I am greatly disappointed that that even crossed your mind! Did you not think what would've happened to me when you made such an agreement?"

"We saved her in the end, that's all that matters, Doctor." Khan simply stated.

"After we caused a scene in **my** medbay!" Leonard growled before I tapped his hand to bring his attention back to me, rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb in comfort.

"In your line of work, Doctor, you know as well as I do that death is inevitable." Khan said. "We all meet our maker's one day, some sooner than later."

"So, if I didn't threaten to use force, you would've been content to let Allyson die?" Leonard asked.

"I didn't say that." Khan said as I watched his body tighten up, his whole body coiling and prepared for a fight should Leonard instigate anything.

"Please don't fight…" I tried to calm both Khan and Leonard down, if Leonard continued it's quite possible he wouldn't stop until he exhausts himself out and if Khan kept defending it's possible he may decide to start going on the attack any moment.

The three of us settled into what I could only feel was a bit of an awkward situation, they both wanted to say more, but whether it was to scold me or to address something else I wasn't sure. I couldn't take the tense air in the room so I decided to be the first to break it. "I'm sorry for worrying you, the both of you…"

And just like that, the tension was cut as Leonard sighed. Khan then decided to speak as Leonard went back to checking over my vitals. "I want to talk about your Marks, DeLuca."

"I wasn't-"

"I'm not concerned about whether you purposely hid your second Mark from me or not. Nor am I concerned about the reason." Khan cut me off before turning to look back at Leonard. "What I want to talk about is what are we going to do about this situation we find ourselves in."

"I…I don't know." I whispered as I looked down at my exposed wrists.

"You've told me that you study SoulMarks." Khan's voice, if possible, lowered an octave. He wasn't too happy with my answer.

"And through years of extensive evaluations from willing participants that allowed me to get a glimpse of their Mated lives, I had come across none that were born with two Marks like me. Concerning my predicament, the possibility of meeting one SoulMate and keeping them was low. Meeting both was even lower." I honestly said. "I truly don't know what to do going forward."

"You choose." Khan said, bringing both Leonard and myself attention back to him.

"Come again?" Leonard asked, having stopped what he was previously doing.

"Though I was never accepting of the concept of SoulMarks three hundred years ago, I've had a year to come to terms that I had a Mark, and two weeks to think about what I wanted. Now that I have a Mark and my SoulMate is in my sights I don't intend to share." Khan stated. "As you can see, the Doctor and myself don't get along. Not in the slightest. So, DeLuca, I'm telling you to choose, and if you can't then I will choose for you. I don't intend to be the second choice."

I didn't know if I'd be able to make such a decision. These two men were what gave me hope in my tough times even before I was able to put faces to the names, and to be forced to give an answer? I felt my heart start to pick up, conflicted by my feelings and the thought of having to choose. Sure, I told Khan I'd stay away from him due to his dislike of the concept of SoulMarks, but now he's telling me he's come to terms with it and accepts it? Accepts me? "I'd-I'd like to be alone please…"

"Very well." Khan immediately stood to his feet and quickly exited the room, never saying anything or giving a second glance back.

But Leonard…dear sweet Leonard, leaned forward and placed his lips on my forehead. Staying still as he took a deep breath. "I don't know what would've happened to me if I couldn't save you Allyson. Whatever you decide, I will always care about and look after you. I…I lo-" Leonard shook his head before leaning back, our noses touching as he stared back into my eyes. "If you need me, or need assistance, you know what to do."

Leonard wanted to say something just then, but held back. I knew what he wanted to say, and I truly wanted to say it back, but I think it just wasn't the best time to say it with the silent ultimatum Khan had given me.

Leonard gave me one final, exhausted smile, before exiting my room allowing me to stew in my own thoughts. I don't know if I was comfortable enough to make such a decision, knowing that I would be hurting someone I cared about in the end.

* * *

"Khan." I called out to the augment that was walking away from Allyson's room. When the augment didn't acknowledge my call I picked up my pace and reached out to grab a hold of his arm to stop him. Khan had reacted violently at the moment of contact, yanking his arm out of my grip the moment I had given a tug and pushed me against the wall.

"I'm not in the mood, Doctor." Khan growled as he got close to my face.

"That's too bad, princess. Be in the mood." I taunted as I shoved his arm away, pushing off the wall and brushing down my uniform. "Follow me to my office." Khan had tried to move around me, but I quickly blocked his path to the lift, making sure to always stay in his way and thwarting his attempts of escaping. "I'm not moving till you hear what I have to say!"

Khan let out a threatening snarl, seems like that's all he ever did when he never got his way, before doing a complete 180 and headed back to where my office was located. Khan knew exactly which door was my office after having spent hours of harsh exchanges concerning Allyson's condition, and when we were in the privacy of my office I went over to my desk and pulled up Allyson's family and Starfleet file.

"Sit and read, Khan." I urged Khan to take a seat across from me as I turned my screen toward him.

"What is this?" Khan asked, hesitant and cautious about what I was planning.

"Read this, and then I can explain why what you proposed to Allyson was completely out of line." I stated firmly. "We don't get along, but I told her that no matter who the second Mark belonged to that _we_ would give her all the love she deserves."

"You'd be willing to share her?" Khan scoffed.

"Yes, I would." I bluntly stated. "Because I know she'd return our love equally."

" _Our_ love?" Khan raised his brow at such a concept and I could only glare at him at how he's still not truly coming to terms with his own feelings.

"Yes, **our** love. Because whether you want to admit it out loud or not Khan, you love and care for her just as much as I do. I know you do, why? Because it's the same feeling I got when I saw my name on her wrist." I defended, leaving Khan at a loss for words indicating to me that what I was speaking was the truth. "There's a feeling, an eye opening experience where you're seeing things differently for the first time. It's as if your eyes are finally open to wonders you've never thought possible. It makes you want to be...better." I thought back to all that she's revealed to me about her family, what I have researched myself and nodded my head. "During her childhood, through the hardships, she really needed us and our names gave her hope."

"What hardships?" Khan asked, his interest now peaked.

"Read her file, read her family's file. I'm sure you couldn't access these under Marcus." I said as I motioned toward my computer screen. "Before I can give you that information, you first need to understand her background." When Khan didn't make any motion to look at her files I sighed in frustration. "How high were the expectations those scientists thrust upon you and your people, Khan? Those expectations to lead and create a world that they wanted? No doubt high I suspect, and in those tough times of repression did you have any hope to cling on to? Allyson's family had extremely high expectations for her, expectations that for simple folks like myself would break under such pressure." I leaned forward to look at Khan. "Our names gave her the desire to continue moving forward, to deal with her insane family. The thought of meeting us gave her something to look forward to even when she was being told it was a lost cause. Now, imagine how hurt and difficult it is when one of her name's tells her to choose. Lose one and keep the other?"

I let my words sink in, the silence weighing heavily on our situation before my office intercom came to life. _**"** **Bones! I have some of our crew here, who I may have told that Allyson is finally awake, and wants to see her!"**_

"I don't want them to overcrowd and stress her out!" I responded to Jim. "I'll be right there to monitor her vitals while she has visitors. Absolutely do not enter that room without me there!"

I ended the call and jumped to my feet, but not before leaving Khan with one last remark. "In the year I've known her, I've seen how amazing Allyson is…such a beautiful, caring, and the most loving woman I know. She'd give up her time, even when tired, to listen to the woes of others. And right now, Khan, she's hurting. You hurt her by forcing her to choose between the two of us." I said as I turned to leave. "We don't have to like each other, we just have to tolerate each other enough for the sake of that woman sitting in that room. She deserves the both of us, not only one."

* * *

A few months of physical therapy, that is how much time I needed to get my body back to the capabilities it was previously. Dying really took a big toll on my body but Khan's blood helped speed the process along. Leonard was kind enough to personally help me with my therapy sessions and so did Khan when he decided to randomly show up, but he never said a word about our Marks nor did he show me his. He'd come in, help me during my session and then leave…I wouldn't see him until the next session he decided to show up at.

While being temporarily incapacitated and ordered to stay in bed I had the opportunity to speak to Ambassador Spock. I wanted to thank him for speaking in Khan's favor, but I also wanted to know why he had done it.

_**"** **What made you decide to speak in favor of Khan?" I had asked the moment after we exchanged pleasantries.** _

_**"** **When Jim had told me the deeds and actions of the Khan in your time I will admit, I was curious." Ambassador Spock had hummed. "While Khan was being held in one of the cells in Starfleet, I visited Khan and spoke to him. I wanted to first hear of his past, and when he told me I knew he was the same person with the same ambition from my timeline based on what he was telling me. Then I had realized that something about him was also different. It seemed like he was conflicted about his goals, questioning his mission, and the more we spoke about the simple things and what he planned to do from this point forward he had confessed to me, without me asking, that he would honor the image you believed him to be: a good man. Khan would answer for the crimes him and his people committed. This…was not the man driven by his ambitions like I knew him to be. I think, Allyson, that the reason behind his change is you and though Khan had caused great grief and misfortune to my crew I did not think that your Khan would repeat such actions."** _

_**"** **That's really good to hear." I smiled at the screen. "Ambassador Spock, you said you had almost lost your life trying to save the crew, but that's not true is it? That radiation killed me, even for a Vulcan you wouldn't have been able to survive that."** _

_**Ambassador Spock took a second before nodding his head. "Indeed. That day I had died."** _

_**"** **How are you physically here?" I asked with great curiosity.** _

_**"** **It's a very long story." Ambassador Spock said before I motioned to my room and the bed I was currently in.** _

_**"** **I'm not going anywhere, and if I did Leonard would catch me and send me straight back here with more hyposprays for the day. I think he takes great pleasure in administering things that he says won't hurt one bit." I said as Ambassador Spock simply chuckled. "I'm a little bored, so won't you tell me a story?"** _

There were people, Ambassador Spock included, who made my stay in my hospital bed bearable. Thankfully.

When Leonard had deemed me fit to do my normal everyday routine I was released from the hospital, and I was so happy to finally be free to move around. Once outside I was greeted by the rest of the crew of the Enterprise. They had taken me out to eat and drink to celebrate coming back home alive.

Though…there were still no signs of Khan.

Going on to close to a year, after repair work was done to the Enterprise, we were finally going back into space…and I was so ready to head back into the dark black unknown. Jim had informed us that Starfleet had chosen the Enterprise for the new mission program. Five years in space! Five years exploring strange new worlds! Seeking out new life and civilizations! Unexplored space! The possibilities were endless and I was ready to see it all.

That's where I found myself, in my quarters that had been upgraded per Jim's request to my surprise, getting dressed and prepared for my shift to be able to see the Enterprise take off. No matter how many times we do it, I will always be eager to see us take off.

The light above my door started to flash notifying me that I had a visitor waiting to enter.

"Come in!" I called as I was in the process of zipping up my mustard yellow uniform and without needing to be told twice my door opened and in walked: "Khan?"

"DeLuca." Khan greeted as he walked into my quarters, he was dressed in our ship's red uniform, and if I was being honest with myself…I liked him in the black uniform better. But I'd never say that out loud. "I'd like to say a few words before we officially head out to space for the next five years."

"Sure. Of course." I turned to Khan, giving him my full attention. "What can I do for you?"

"Doctor McCoy allowed me access to your files along with your families files, accompanied with informing me of a few personal things you've told him." Khan said as he stepped further into my room, slowly advancing toward me. "First, I want to say that I wish to withdraw what I requested of you back when you were hospitalized. Second, I wish to apologize for avoiding you, there were a few things I wished to contemplate about without any outside…interference."

"Khan, I don't expect you to accept to be a part of any of this. At the time, I simply wished to ease any concerns or questions you had about what you were going through. I fully understand if you want to avoid dealing with this situation I put you in. Though I do hope that we can be on decent terms with each other since we'll be working together from this point on, at least for the next five years." I said watching as Khan kept walking toward me. "It would be hard to avoid each other since with my position I'll be sent to work all over the ship."

Khan came to a stop right in front of me, his body just inches from mine as he reached up to pull down the collar of his shirt to reveal my name clear as day on his chest just above his heart. It was almost similar to Leonard's though the color seemed to fade from gold to black, instead of black to gold. Khan then grabbed for my left wrist, placing my hand over my name. "This is confirmation for you that your name does exist on my body."

"The Doctor isn't my Mate, Allyson, you are." Khan continued to speak. "We don't get along, but that doesn't mean I'd choose to be parted from you. You…intrigue me, Allyson. I'd like to stick around to find out why." The corner of Khan's mouth perked up in a smug smile. "And maybe, just maybe, in the end you'll realize I'm better suited to be your Mate then that of Doctor McCoy."

"I don't think that's how Mark's work, Khan." I scolded with a smile as I took back my hand, feeling my heart beat rapidly against my chest as I continued to stare at my name.

"As far as you know." Khan said.

"And if I don't come to that conclusion? If I still accept the both of you as my Mate?" I questioned before Khan leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Then I'll keep attempting to convince you that I am…better." Khan said and that seemed to be the end of our conversation as he stood back to his full height, leaving the two of us standing in silence in my quarters.

"Was…was there anything else you needed to say to me?" I asked nervously to which Khan shrugged his shoulders with a shake of his head no. "Then…why are you still here?"

"Kirk had informed me that this would be my quarters." Khan informed me which caused me to tilt my head in confusion.

"No, that's not right. Jim said that due to new recruits they had to move my quarters. This is my quarters." I responded.

"It's actually _our_ quarters." Another voice cut in and at the door I saw Leonard leaning against the open door of the room. He stepped inside and gave a long sigh. "My previous room wasn't allowing me in and Jim had told me that I had been moved. Guess where he redirected me?"

'What are you doing, Jim!' I placed both of my hands over my face in exasperation, my hands muffling my groans before sliding my hands down my face. "Give me a minute…" I reached for my communicator on my desk and immediately called for Jim.

 _ **"** **Ally!"**_ Jim's happy voice greeted me. _**"** **How's the new room? More spacious than your previous quarters right?"**_

"Hey! Yeah, it's an amazing room. Though I do have one concern." I said as I turned to look back at the two men in my room who continued to glare at each other, neither daring to give up to the other and blink. "It would seem like I gained two roommates when I was told this would only be my room. And it would seem they, too, were under the same assumption that this would be their room."

 _ **"** **Well, you see, I just thought, with how much you three**_ _(especially Khan)_ _ **were avoiding each other and the two of you guys**_ _(Bones and Khan)_ _ **weren't getting along that this would be an amazing opportunity to strengthen your bonds as Mates!"**_ Jim said before some muffled noise came from his end. _**"Sorry Ally, duty calls! Got to go! Have fun, keep Bones and Khan from killing each other, and try not to make too much noise! I don't want any complaints. See you on the bridge!"**_

And with that the line went dead, I turned back to Khan and Leonard to see them now facing off and I sighed. Instead of enjoying the prospect of being in space for five years, I was now worried about all that could go wrong in five years.

'I'm going to kill him!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Christopher Pike for those that don't know, in TOS was alive though he was scarred and physically disabled (needed a wheelchair tuned to his brain waves). I just thought that I'd stick to something similar. The next few chapters (since it's three years between the end of this movie to Beyond) will be filler "episodes". Meaning that the crew will be encountering some familiar faces and scenarios from TOS (though what episodes, you'll just have to be surprised). I'm pretty excited with the next few chapters!


	24. Absolute Paradise?

"Commander DeLuca…" Jim tried his best to get my attention and when I didn't answer he continued his attempts. "Allyson…" Jim moaned and groaned as he walked over to my station, poking my arm. "Ally, are you still mad at me…"

"Captain Kirk…James…" I mimicked his moans and groans without taking my eyes off my console. "Jim, we're currently working."

"We're technically not. We're waiting to get to our next destination." Jim argued. "I said I was sorry…"

I looked around on the bridge, making sure no one was paying us any attention before lowering my voice. "You try living with two people that can't stop arguing with each other, _then_ I will accept your apology."

"In my defense I really thought they would've stopped by now." Jim halfheartedly defended, giving me his signature smile.

"They didn't!" I scrunched up my nose before Jim tried to shush me. "I've had to go so far as to make sure that the two of them work separate schedules so they don't end up being in the same room! I've also had to make sure my schedule rotates so I spend time with them equally in our quarters. It's gotten so bad that I've gone to share a room with Carol, thank god for her putting up with me, because if I stayed in the room with one of them the other gets upset even if I split my time carefully!"

"It sounds like you have things under control…" Jim pouted.

"I don't have anything under control! They always have a problem with each other, or whatever they say gets on each other's nerves. At one point all three of us ended up accidentally being in the same room. I slept on the bed, alone, while they slept on the floor because neither of them could agree to sharing the same bed. They wouldn't take the couch either because they kept fighting over the couch!" I argued before sighing. "I honestly have no idea how to make the two of them willingly get along."

While I was distracted I didn't see that my screen started to emit a signal coming from our auxiliary control center, I only noticed when Sulu called for our attention.

"Yes, Mister Sulu?" Jim asked.

"There's an unplanned course change being fed into the instruments, Captain." Sulu said and from my station a red notice started to flash reading 'overload' and I attempted to work on getting it fixed.

"Correct it." Jim said before I realized that my controls were locked.

"Nothing on my station is responding, Captain." I called out to Jim. "It would seem control has been taken from me…"

"Auxiliary control, this is the captain." Jim tried to get in touch with someone, anyone, who was supposed to be manning the station at this time, but we got no response. "Auxiliary control, what's going on down there?"

"No response from crew or ship…" I said. "auxiliary control is on override." I reached over to my earpiece to call for any security that would be nearby. "Bridge to security."

 _ **"** **Security. Lieutenant Rowe here."**_ Someone had responded to my call.

Jim came over to where I was standing to give the following command. "Lieutenant Rowe, intruder alert—deck eight, auxiliary control."

 _ **"Acknowledged."**_ Lieutenant Rowe said before his communication cut out.

"Lieutenant Uhura, have Mister Spock report to the bridge." Jim ordered before turning back to Sulu. "What's the imposed course, Mister Sulu?"

"Turning on three-zero-seven degrees, Mark Eight." Sulu read the report before we felt our ship begin to turn, going off of our previously designated path. "Being executed now, sir."

 _ **"** **Security to bridge."**_ Lieutenant Rowe's voice came through from my earpie.

"Bridge here." I responded as I redirected the call to the captain's chair for Jim to hear.

_**"** **Lieutenant Rowe. I'm in auxiliary control. Ensign Jordan's been knocked out. The directional master controls have been jammed. They're unworkable."** _

"Any sign of the intruder?" Jim asked.

_**"** **No, sir. He's gone. I've put out a full security alert on all decks."** _

"Find him." Jim said before nodding his head for me to cut off communication once more. In that moment the lift had opened and in walked Spock as Jim turned to greet his First Officer.

"Mister Spock, we seem to be taking an unscheduled ride." Jim informed Spock who quirked his brow, muttering a response to Jim before attending to his station: _**"Interesting."**_ "Mister Sulu, cut into emergency manual monitor. I want the override broken."

Sulu had attempted to do just as Jim had requested before I watched his movements falter. "Sir, the instruments won't respond."

"Captain, I'm seeing some strange reports coming from engineering." I said as I saw more emergency flashes start to appear in and around the engineering section.

"Emergency manual monitor, report." Jim called from his seat as I continued to try to override the override. Whatever or whoever was trying to take over our ship they knew exactly what to do to make sure that I along with Science Officer 0718, the other officer who worked the other standing station, couldn't fix the problem. "This is Captain Kirk. Acknowledge." When we got the similar response Jim started to get increasingly frustrated when no one, not even Scotty, was reporting in. "Commander DeLuca, I want to know what exactly is going on with my ship."

"Working on it, Captain." I assured as I started moving around, patching myself through to contact Khan. "Khan, what's going on down in engineering?"

 _ **"** **It would seem whoever our intruder is, knew of our rotation schedule."**_ I heard a grunt on Khan's end. _**"We need medical down in engineering, I must have just missed our mystery hijacker."**_

"Captain, Khan just missed our culprit. Engineering's down." I reported sadly, our ship was increasingly getting further and further out of our control as I realized more of our systems weren't responding to any of our commands. "We've lost total control of our ship, Captain."

"Security, head down to the engineering section. We'll cut the intruder off. Have all units converge on that point." Jim said as he got up from his chair and made his way to the lift.

"Sir, we're picking up speed." Sulu read his findings causing Jim to falter. "Warp five…six…warp seven, sir."

"Cut power." Jim commanded, standing just in front of the lift.

"All controls are jammed." I reported, looking back to Jim for our next plan of action. "There's nothing more we can do from here."

Jim looked to be in thought before passing control of the ship over to Spock, and just as Jim was about to enter the lift a man dressed in our blue Starfleet uniform about a head taller than Jim stepped out of the lift and stopped him from leaving. "It will not be necessary, Captain."

Jim looked up at the man before pulling his arm out of his grip, turning back to me with a nod of his head. "Notify security. We've found the intruder." Jim started to massage his arm as he addressed who I could only assume was one of our new recruits since I have never seen his face before. "You mind telling me what this is all about, Mister?"

"I am in total control of your ship." The man responded, though I took note that his voice was a bit choppy and mechanical the longer he spoke. "I have connected the matter-antimatter pods to the main navigational bank. A trigger relay is now in operation. Any attempts to alter course will result in the immediate destruction of this vessel."

"Spock?" Jim looked over to the Vulcan for confirmation.

"Confirmed, Captain." Spock nodded to Jim from his station. "He's taken out all the override controls." Spock then stood from his chair as he went over to stand beside Jim. "If we tamper without knowing where the trigger relay is, we could extinguish ourselves."

"Who are you?" Jim glared at the new recruit.

"I assure you, we are no threat to humanity or humanoid life. We mean you no harm, but we require your ship." The man responded.

"You require-" Jim was taken back by such a request. "who and what are 'we'?"

I, along with those on the bridge, watched in fascination as when the man lifted his shirt he had peeled back the skin on his stomach region to reveal to us metal, wires, nodes, and buttons. This was no man, but an android!

* * *

"I thought we screened all new recruits." Khan stated, having ventured onto the bridge after being told that there was no possibility of repairing the ship unless we wanted to destroy ourselves.

"We do," Jim said as he stared at the sleeping android who stayed situated just in front of the lift. "at least…I was under the assumption that we did."

"Doctor McCoy had informed me on our leisurely walk four days ago that Lieutenant Norman had been acting strange, having not divulged in his background, smiled or talked aside from the usual greeting. And, it would see that Lieutenant Norman had avoided two appointments for his physical exam." Spock had added in, our little group huddled in front of the viewscreen, though while they were talking my eyes were trained solely on the sleeping android.

"So, it would seem you are to blame here, Doctor McCoy." Khan jabbed as he turned to look over my head to Leonard who had instinctively come to stand by my side.

"I am to blame?" Leonard huffed at the audacity Khan had to hold him accountable for the predicament they were in. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Khan glared as I tried to keep the two separated.

"Why weren't you down in engineering to stop him from causing anymore damages to our ship? I could say that you, too, are to blame. What good is a superhuman if you can't stop an android?" Leonard shot back.

"I was reporting to my shift at my scheduled time." Khan defended. "I had no control on when that android would've arrived, nor would I have been able to predict such an event happening. Clearly he knew when I would report to duty to avoid me being there."

"Please…" I sighed, being uncomfortable standing between my two Mates, already feeling a headache coming along. "just one day…that's all I ask for, is one day of you two not fighting. I think we have more pressing matters to attend to. For instance, where are we going? We've been at warp for four days! We can't repair the damage Norman had done to our ship, are we supposed to just…accept this little field trip we're on?"

"We're about to enter orbit around a planet, Captain." Chekov said as Jim turned to nod his head in appreciation.

"An uncharted planet from the looks of it. I don't like this." I commented as I turned back to the viewscreen. "Seems like bad luck constantly follows us around. Lovely."

"Captain Kirk," Norman, the android who suddenly woke up, startled our little group as he suddenly came up to stand behind me. "The following individuals will be transported down to our planet—yourself, Science Officer, Medical Officer, Communications Officer, and Navigator."

"Any meetings or discussions can be held aboard the Enterprise." Jim argued not liking the idea of being separated from his ship and beaming down to an unknown planet.

"If you do not come with me, your engines will be destroyed and you will remain in orbit here…forever." Norman threatened.

"I must say, that's a gracious invitation." Jim sarcastically said.

"There is a word, among us there is no corresponding meaning, but it seems to mean something to you humans." Norman choppily responded.

"And that word is?" Jim asked.

"Please." Norman said as he motioned back towards the lift.

"An android with manners…" Leonard scoffed, knowing full well that Jim was going to ask him to accompany them down to the planet. I sighed before jumping back when the android looked back at me.

"Please gather the requested individuals." Norman repeated as Jim brushed him off and turned to look back at us.

"Well, you heard the android…if we don't comply, our ship will be destroyed, and he did say please." Jim sighed as he went over to his chair. "Ally, you have the conn until we return. Scotty, do not leave this ship."

"Yes, Captain." I responded instantly.

"Wait for my signal, then beam us back on board. We'll get back control of our ship." Jim instructed as I nodded. "Lieutenant Uhura, Lieutenant Chekov, Doctor McCoy, and Commander Spock. Let's head down to the transporter room."

"Be safe." I smiled at Leonard who nodded his head. "Make sure Jim doesn't go and do something stupid."

"I should be saying the same to you. I'll be back before you can say 'Georgia peaches'. Though-" Leonard began to say and I couldn't help but giggle as he reached out for my hand only for Khan to intervene.

"Allyson will be well looked after so long as one of us is by her side." Khan said as he brushed Leonard's hand away. "We'll look after things in your absence."

I nervously waved goodbye to Leonard who seemed preoccupied with glaring at Khan before the whole team took the lift down to the transporter room. When the doors had closed I took my position in the captain's chair with Khan following to stand to the left of me.

"Is it too much to ask that you two get along? For me?" I huffed as we carefully monitored their vitals, watching their life signals heading down with the lift.

"You haven't been to our quarters in a while." Khan completely avoided my question. "Where have you been?"

"Someplace peaceful and away from the constant arguing coming from you and Leonard." I shot back. "Khan, in my eyes you two are my Mates, it pains me to see that I can't just enjoy being in the company of either of you without the potential argument starting up."

"And have you spoken to Doctor McCoy about what you are feeling?" Khan asked and I simply shook my head.

"Hard to talk to both of you together when you guys keep grating on each other's nerves." I hummed, a plan starting to formulate in my head. "That's a good idea…"

"What's a good idea, _Captain_ DeLuca?" Khan asked and when I glanced back up at him he had that infuriating smirk gracing his perfect face. The augment can joke, and that makes me regret telling him how much I had a problem at first about being called a captain…just a little.

"Nothing that concerns you, yet." I smiled as I crossed my leg over the other, leaning on one of the armrests of the captain's chair, waiting patiently to hear back from Jim.

_**"** **Kirk to Enterprise. Kirk to Enterprise."** _

Jim's voice came through from the captain's chair, and just as I was about to answer the line went dead. "Captain?" I called out as I tried to reestablish connection with his communicator. "Jim? What's going on?"

"Captain!" Sulu called urgently for my attention. "More androids are being beamed aboard our ship from the planet's surface."

"All stations be on alert!" I announced throughout the ship. "We have unauthorized guests boarding our ship."

_**"** **Captain, they're taking our crew to the transporter room and they're-"** _

The line cut off before they could relay the information and all attempts I made to reconnect were met with static and silence. "All stations report. What's going on down there?" From behind I heard the lift open and in walked several identical men who filed onto our bridge. I stood from the captain's chair and faced our opponents, now being on high alert at the sudden intrusion. "You have no authorization to be here."

"You are to accompany us down to the planet's surface." One of the androids stated.

"Like hell we will. By who's orders?" I started to argue before one of them came to grab for my arm. Khan reacted and lashed out, grabbing the android and holding the machine in place.

"Do not lay a finger on her." Khan's voice lowered threateningly as I watched the android's feeble attempt to pull away.

"If you do not come willingly, then we will destroy your engines and leave you stranded in orbit. Follow us to the planet's surface, please." Another repeated the same statement that Norman had and for a few minutes we all stood stock still, neither parties acting unless the other did. Though I wanted to listen to the command of my captain, if we stood our ground here and lost the ship then there would be no way for us to escape. It was a no brainer what needed to be done.

I reached out to place a hand on Khan's arm, giving him a smile, before turning to glare back at the androids.

"…lead the way."

* * *

None dared to try and touch me, with Khan at my side he had kept the androids away as we were escorted to…wherever they were taking us.

"What do they call you?" I started to talk to gain some understanding of the situation we were in as we walked through the endless halls and corridors.

The female who was escorting us didn't bother to look back at me as she answered. "I am called Alice 367, I am part of the Alice series here on this planet."

"The Alice series?" I asked as I stared at the back of this woman's head.

"There are over five hundred of this model that was made to serve our Lord." Alice responded.

"And who do you serve?" I asked.

"They serve me." A man's chipper voice called out and at the sound of the newcomer I gritted my teeth in irritation, it was a voice I had hoped to never hear again. "It's a darn pleasure to see you again, my dear."

"Harcourt Fenton Mudd…" I spit out as Khan looked down at me in curiosity.

"You've met him before?" Khan asked.

"Met him before, and hoped I'd never meet him again." I mumbled as the large man with an even larger smile plastered on his face came forward to greet us.

"Did I leave that much of a negative impression that you'd feel that way?" Mudd questioned and just as he was about to get any closer, Khan maneuvered himself to stand in front of me causing Mudd to stagger backwards. "Ah, I see you have your own private security tagging along with you."

"Not private security." Khan stated. "If you know what's good for you, you'd keep away from my Mate."

"You're the one behind this, where's the Captain and the rest of the crew you beamed down onto this planet!" I ordered.

"Ah, I do not take orders from you Commander DeLuca. Here on this planet, my word is law. You will abide by my rules." Mudd tisked. "You've foiled my plans before, but I will not have them foiled again." Mudd had tried to push Khan aside, but when my Mate didn't budge, Mudd took to talking around him. "You see, Commander, I'll make what I said to Jimbo simple enough for your…brain to understand. These androids wanted to study human life, and I thought what would be the perfect specimen but a Starfleet captain and its crew. You and your crew will be staying on this planet, quite possibly for the rest of your life so you best get used to this marvelous place! They have everything you could ever want to keep you occupied until the day you die! By chance they took your ship and I couldn't be happier. I get the final word with Jamie boy _and_ I can get you back for what you did with the incident concerning the miners and my beautiful ladies."

"You insult my intellect once more, Harry Mudd, I see you haven't changed one bit with that chauvinistic, pigheaded brain of yours." I scoffed. "Evie sends her best by the way, better off without you and your illegal Venus drug. I heard she's quite happy and rich, with her husband."

"Why you-" Mudd was about to retaliate, but stopped in fear when Khan had easily shoved his large body away. "Hmph, Alice. Show them to their quarters."

" **Yes, Harry Mudd.** " The androids that were present around us voiced in unison before the Alice that initially guiding us had motioned for us to continue following her. "This way. Please."

"Ugh, I hate it here and I hate him." I grumbled.

"Who is he?" Khan asked.

"We met him about a year ago. He was selling women to be wives on some planet. He thought all women were only good for making the bed warm for their husbands and housework. We thwarted his plans and put him in Starfleet custody." I glared. "But it would seem he escaped, and judging off all the women androids catering to his every will, nothing has changed."

"You'll find this quite comfortable, you're quarters are down the hall." Alice led us to a big sitting area. "Your friends are taking advantage of all that our facility has to offer, you may wait for them here."

"Ally!" Jim yelled as soon as he saw us, him and Spock being the first to return after Alice had just left. "I thought I told you to stay on the ship."

"We did stay on the ship, but-"

"Jim, you should see the research facilities." Leonard's voice was the first we heard as we turned to see him being escorted back by Mudd himself. "They've got a lab down there that…well, I could spend the rest of my life studying it."

"How simple of you, Doctor." Khan commented before I glared lightly at Leonard. "We're not going to stay here, Leonard."

"Why are women so stubborn." Mudd commented before I turned my glare on the infuriating man.

"You'd like it if I were to keep quiet-"

"Let go of me! Now what are you doing! What kind of lunatic-" Scotty's voice echoed as he was shoved into our group, Khan catching him with ease to prevent my Scottish friend from tumbling to the ground and hurting himself.

"Last one my Lord." A different Alice called.

"Splendid. Splendid." Mudd praised as he went up to shake Scotty's hand. "Welcome to Mudd, Mister Scott." Though just as Mudd was shaking Scotty's hand, the man had forcefully taken his hand back and stepped away.

"Harry Mudd!" Scotty was about to go on a tirade as he was shaking in anger at having been separated from his metal lady, his accent becoming stronger as he wagged his finger at Mudd. "Oh, you bogus frat, you. You're the cause of all this, are you?"

"Scotty, Ally, you both were ordered to stay aboard the ship." Jim looked to the two of us for answers.

"Aye, sir, and I stayed until that female gargantua threw me into the transporter beams." Scotty reported.

"They threatened us with the destruction of the Enterprise. We had no choice but to follow." I reported what happened to our group. "Jim, just before we were taken off the bridge all stations were reporting that androids were being beamed onto the Enterprise and taking the crewman to the transporter room."

"Explain Mudd." Jim ordered.

"Oh, didn't I tell you, Kirk?" Mudd faked his surprise. "I beamed a few dozen androids up to your ship. They've been sending your crew to the surface for the past couple of hours. They're all down now."

"Are you out of your mind?" Jim lashed out, gripping Mudd by his throat as he shoved Mudd against the wall. "You can't beam down an entire crew of a spaceship. Somebody has to be on board."

"Well, there is an entire crew aboard-an entire crew of androids." Mudd started to stutter, cowering at what Jim would do as he strained to speak. "They learn very quickly, captain. The fact is…I've taken over your whole ship. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Harry…" Jim thought it over, the gravity of the situation we were in settling in as he grabbed a hold of the lapels of Mudd's 'extravagant' clothing. "Harry, you'll never get away with it."

Mudd started to gasp for breath, attempting to recover when Jim had let go of his throat before goading Jim on. "Well, who's to stop me?"

"Starfleet." Jim simply replied.

"Ah! But now, captain, now I have a ship of my own, and it's as fast as any in the fleet. So how will they catch me, eh?" Mudd taunted his 'victory' before he let out a low chuckle. "Just think of it, laddie buck. Harry Mudd with his own crew of lovelies aboard your vessel. Think about that."

"I'm trying not to." Jim said before Mudd left in a flourish, motioning for Alice to follow leaving the rest of us alone. "Ally, please tell me there's something we can do. And don't! Tell me that we're in a lot of trouble." I sucked my lips in, thinking over all that has happened in the last few minutes before Jim sighed. "You want to say that _'we_ _ **are**_ _in a lot of trouble'…_ don't you."

"Yeah…I don't really know what else we can do, Jim. We've only been on the surface for a few minutes before you and Spock arrived." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I've questioned a number of the androids, and they are loyal to Mudd alone." Spock said as I went over to sit on one of the benches, Khan following and offering his shoulder for me to lean on. "Perhaps of more concern is the fact that this android population can literally provide anything a human being could ask for in unlimited quantity."

"Yes, I know. That's what worries me." Jim sighed as he sat on the other side of me. "How will my crew react in a world where they can have absolutely everything they want simply by asking for it?"

"Like being in a gilded cage." I sighed as I rested completely on Khan. "I'd rather be out in space and exploring. The very thought of spending the rest of my life grounded…" I shook my head. "absolute paradise? Sounds like hell to me."

* * *

"So, what tickles your fancy, my dear?" Mudd asked, having taken me, and only me much to Khan's displeasure, along with him to give me a tour of the planet's facilities.

"Nothing that you or any of these androids can offer, and that will keep being my answer every time you ask me." I scoffed, keeping my guard up around this vile man. "What's the point in trying, Mudd?"

"Because every person, man or woman, has something they want in life." Mudd smiled as we passed by a few rooms. I saw Nyota being introduced to a few of their past series judging off the difference in looks compared to the Alice series that were walking around. Scotty was looking at some sort of module in fascination with Carol being in the same room looking at all the little gadgets that seemed right up her alley, and I even saw Chekov busy conversing with two of the Alice models in Mudd's throne room. "And I think, if you and Jimbo find something to your pleasure, then the rest will surely follow."

"I want to be out in space." I stated, plain and simple, straight to the point. "Back on the Enterprise, exploring with my crew."

"Can't do that I'm afraid." Mudd shot me down as we continued walking through the hallway before something caught my attention. A black curtain situated just beside Mudd's throne.

"What's that?" I asked curiously causing Mudd to falter before coming back to my side.

"Doctor McCoy asked just the same thing when they first beamed down. That, my dear, is a shrine to the memory of my beloved Stella, my wife." Mudd pressed a button located to the side to reveal a beautiful woman with ginger hair and green eyes, though her face was aged with lines she was still a beauty in my eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss…" I gave my condolences and for the first time I felt for Mudd, losing someone who he cared enough to marry. I couldn't imagine feeling such a loss and it hit close to home, it reminded me of the pain I put my Mates through…before all of my sympathy flew right out the window after his next statement.

"No, merely deserted." Mudd clarified with so much pride that I wanted to strangle him. "You see, behind every great man there is a woman urging him on. And so it was with my Stella. She urged me on into outer space. Not that she meant to, but with her continual, eternal, confounded nagging-" Mudd started to ground his teeth, probably imagining how Stella was when they were together, before recovering. "well, I think of her constantly, and every time I do I go further out into space."

"You're disgusting. What little respect I had in that moment, thinking your wife had passed, vanished just like that." I snapped my finger.

"I had the androids construct a perfect replica of Stella so that I could gaze upon her and rejoice in her absence." Mudd brushed off my comment as he continued to speak, he really did just love hearing himself talk. "Would you like a demonstration?" _**"No, I'm good-"**_ But Mudd ignored me. "Stella, dear."

"Mm, Harcourt." The Stella android came to life and pointed her finger straight at Mudd, her joints seemed a bit rusty as a voice came out of her android, a voice that I've only heard my mother use when my siblings and I had gotten our studies wrong and she was going to assign us punishments befitting our mistakes. "Harcourt Fenton Mudd, what have you been up to? Nothing good, I'm sure. Well, let me tell you, you lazy, good-for-nothing—" Stella started to wag her finger in Mudd's face before Mudd let out a loud commanding: **_"Shut up."_** "Nothing…thing…thing…" The Stella android started to malfunction before completely powering down.

"Marvelous, isn't it?" Mudd started to laugh, enjoying what seemed like a man finally having the final say in their argument.

"You truly are a lowly, good-for-nothing, pigheaded, misogynist, cowardly disgrace to mankind." I scoffed. "What century are you living in? Women aren't just…toys for your enjoyment!"

"Oh the nagging." Mudd grumbled as he turned to leave. "Keep it up DeLuca dear, your bossy attitude will drive your Mate out into space just as my Stella did. You'll grow old and alone on this planet. Deserted by the man who was practically made for you. Best be careful my dear." Mudd started to walk away. "Though, if I do say so myself, I didn't peg you to be a little minx, I was under the assumption that Doctor McCoy was the apple of your eye. Shows how you can't judge a book by its cover, eh my dear."

* * *

"I want to break down every single wall of this building!" I growled as I went to punch one of the walls before Leonard came over and talked me down. Insisting on taking deep breaths as he led me to sit beside Nyota and Carol.

"What happened?" Carol asked.

"Noting I wish to say out loud…" I grumbled as I sulked between the two women.

"We don't belong here." Jim said in frustration at having seen his crew completely won over by these androids, and playing right into Mudd's hands. "We belong on that ship up there."

"Do you require something, Lord?" Alice, whichever number this was, came strutting into our waiting room.

"No. Yes!" Jim quickly changed his mind. "My ship."

"I am not programed…' **to respond in that area** '." _**"Yes, I know."**_ Jim finished. "Is there anything any of you require to please you?" Alice asked, the same script as always that each android seemed programmed to respond, as she looked around to the rest of us.

"Alice…give us back our ship to please us." Jim tried once more, trying a different tactic then the previous plan of just simply asking. "Return us to our ship because we desire it."

"We are programmed to serve. We shall serve you to your best interests to make you happy." Alice smiled.

"But we're unhappy here, Alice." I sighed as she turned to me for answers.

"Please explain...unhappy." Alice pleaded, looking a bit lost as she cocked her head to the side.

"Unhappiness is the state of which occurs in the human when wants and desires are not fulfilled." Spock went into detail in which an android could attempt to understand and comprehend.

"Which wants and desires of yours are not fulfilled?" Alice looked troubled at that statement.

"We want the Enterprise." Jim said before the little badge around Alice's neck that had her number started to flash and rapidly blink.

"The Enterprise is not a want or desire. It is a mechanical device." Alice started with a smile.

"No. It's a beautiful lady, and we love her." Jim stood strong before the necklace went to a steady beep, a sort of flatline sound with the badge still glowing before the Alice series seemed to start to reconfigure.

"Illogical. Illogical. All units relate. All units." Alice started to rapidly mumble. "Norman, coordinate."

The steady beep that came from the necklace Alice wore stopped as she turned to Jim with a smile. "Unhappiness does not relate. We must study this." Alice then turned to go leaving the rest of us at a loss for words to try and find an answer to what exactly just happened.

"Interesting." Jim said.

"Fascinating." Spock commented.

"One would say…intriguing." I stood from my seated position and looked in the direction to where Alice went. "What was that?"

"Bones, have you had time to take any psychological readings of the androids?" Jim asked.

"I did, and you can forget it." Leonard stood to his feet. "They're perfect, flawless, mentally and physically. No weakness, perfectly disciplined, no vices, no fears, no faults, just a sense of purpose. Believe me. There's nothing tougher to overcome, even among humans."

"Yes. That's what this crew needs, a sense of purpose." Jim sighed, seeing not many options we can take to beat Mudd's plan. "Ally, stay here and hold down the fort. Make sure our crew keeps their sights leveled, I'm going to go ask Mudd a few questions."

"Where else can we go, Jim…" I sighed as I watched him and Spock leave.

"What did Mudd offer you, Ally?" Nyota asked.

"Nothing that caught my interest." I said confidently. "I did what the captain did, asked for the ship and instead got rebuked…" I went back over, easing myself down between Carol and Nyota, feeling slightly insecure as I thought back to the conversation I had with Mudd. "do I really nag?"

* * *

Jim went off to ask Mudd a question, only to come back with Mudd trailing behind him with his tail tucked between his legs. It would seem that while Mudd thought he was going to get off this planet…the androids had other plans. Mudd was now in the same predicament we were and I couldn't hide the smug smile at his defeated form as I stayed close to Leonard, not wanting to be anywhere near the man or even see him.

"Due to Mudd's example, and from studying the rest of us they have concluded that humankind is self-destructive. That we need the androids help to correct that flaw. They cannot allow a race as greedy and corruptible as humankind to be free to roam the galaxy. So, they'll take our starship, serve mankind to a point where we will be completely dependent on them. Aggressive and acquisitive instincts will be controlled by them…humankind will be taken care of…so the androids say." Jim said after having informed us of all that transpired back in the throne room. "So far, this thing has had its amusing aspects, but that threat the androids made about taking over all the humans in the galaxy is not very funny."

"Indeed, it is not." Spock agreed. "They may quite possibly be able to accomplish it."

"Take my word for it. They can." Mudd sulked.

"Whatever method we use to stop them, we must make haste. They have only to install some cybernetic devices aboard the Enterprise, and they'll be able to leave orbit." Spock said.

"How do you know so much?" Leonard huffed.

"I asked them." Spock stated causing Leonard to only reply with 'oh'."

"Why shouldn't they answer our questions? They don't think we can do anything to stop them." Jim shrugged.

"You're so smart, Kirk, you and this pointy-eared thinking machine of yours." Mudd tried to insult Jim along with Spock before he started to cause a tantrum at having been grounded with the rest of us. "Well, you'd better do something because I'm anxious to get off this ruddy rock as you are."

"I seem to remember that you wanted to leave us on this ruddy rock and leave by yourself." Leonard pointed out, growing angry at Mudd's statement.

"All right. What have we got to work with?" Jim asked all of us as he tried to calm everyone down who seemed on edge with emotions running wild. Jim was open for any kind of opinions or plans.

"Back home, we had two androids that worked solely to please the head of our family. Granted, now they're probably more upgraded then what they used to be." I pointed out. "They were not capable of creative thought. I used to cause them to malfunction because I would constantly act illogically…or at least as illogical in the standards that they were coded with." I shrugged my shoulders. "If this helps any, we could cause them to break down by using wild, insane, irrational, illogical actions in human standards to overload the central controls."

"That could work. Though the device used as their central control is inadequate to the task of directing more than 200,000 of them." Spock nodded his head.

"If that's not the control, then what is?" Jim asked.

"There are a large number of Alices and Trudys, Maizies, Annabelles, and according to my research, a Herman series, an Oscar series, a whole plethora of series, in fact, but only one Norman." Spock listed off.

"When I told one of the Alices that the Enterprise was a lovely lady and we loved her, she said 'Norman, coordinate.' Why Norman?" Jim started to pace.

"Unless…Norman is the one who controls the whole mass of androids, like a hive mind." I hummed.

"To function, each android mind must be one component of a mass brain which would lead-" Spock continued.

"To Norman." I finished as I looked back to Jim.

"Captain," Mudd shot to his feet. "you sing and dance as well as anyone I've ever seen, but what the devil are you all talking about?"

"It's the only sound opportunity that just might work." I excitedly said before Mudd walked right up to me.

"Opportunity? Now, listen, my dear, you may be a wonderful officer, but believe me, you couldn't sell fake patents to your mother." Mudd argued.

"I'd very much appreciate it if you stopped calling me 'my dear'." I glared up at the man as I stepped forward to challenge him.

"Let's get to the point." Jim pulled Mudd away from me as he motioned for me to sit, knowing full well that if Mudd kept poking and prodding at me he'd have no control on what my next action would be. "Harry, you said you wanted to help. Do you?"

"Captain, the kind of wholesome, antiseptic galaxy that these androids would run would be purgatory for a man like me." Mudd agreed to offer his assistance as Jim grabbed Mudd by his arms.

"That's fine, Harry." Jim turned to look around Mudd's body and gave a subtle wink in my direction, and before I could decipher what Jim was hinting at Leonard had tapped me on the shoulder. When I looked up at my Mate he motioned to what he held behind his back, and when I subtly looked behind him I couldn't help but smile triumphantly as I eagerly reached out to grab it before Mudd could notice. "The androids will be expecting us to make a break for it, and that's where you come in."

"What can I do?" Mudd volunteered, wanting so badly to be needed and praised as usual.

"Nothing, Harry. Just…" Jim lifted his eyebrows with a smile as he slyly motioned us to step closer, the signal I've been waiting for. I quietly got up from my spot and inched my way over to the man who's caused me nothing but trouble since I've set foot on this planet. "go to sleep."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Mudd asked in confusion before I stepped in view, showing him the hypospray that Leonard had given me.

"This won't hurt a bit." I smiled cheekily.

"Oh, no-now-wait a minute, gentlemen." Mudd had tried to struggle and escape only for Scotty and Khan to step up and hold the man still as I placed the hypo onto Mudd's shoulder and injected him with whatever Leonard had put inside. "No, what I-I-I-Ah-had in mind was actually more in the line of a few words of sage counsel, as it were, advice…"

And just like that, Mudd was out for the count, and I couldn't help but continue to smile like a madman. "Is it bad that I enjoyed that way too much?"

"Not at all." Leonard praised as he reached out from behind me to grab the empty hypo, pocketing it into his bag before looking to Jim. "So, what now Jim."

"We take the Alices on a trip through wonderland." Jim smiled as he motioned for Khan to place Mudd back where he previously sat. "Now, here's what we'll do…"

* * *

While Jim took a small team with him to take care of the Alices that were in the way to get to Norman, I was tasked with gathering our crew together and informing them of the plan that Jim had in mind. I was told to immobilize and overload the androids from behind the scene to cause Norman to work overtime. Though I kind of wished that I could've seen what Jim had planned considering he took both of my Mates with him.

"There's so many of them." I gasped as I took a little break, leaning on one of the walls and watching as one by one the badges on the androids flickered before creating a steady beeping noise, indicating that our illogical actions were working. "Hope Jim's team is having the time of their lives."

'Stupid Mudd, and his stupid plans…and this stupid planet.' I was irritated, but in a sense I was having fun. This was one of many adventures of our five year mission, though hopefully this would be the last we'd see of Harcourt Fenton Mudd.

A few androids that I had ran past suddenly closed their eyes, switching themselves off it would seem and that was a signal to me that Jim's plan had succeeded.

I ran past the room that I had previously seen Nyota in, glancing at the androids that were in the process of being created before I had the most ingenious idea that made me giggle with excitement.

"This is going to be perfect!" I was giddy as I quickly dashed into the room, opening the interface as I looked for a specific model I had in mind that I was sure was stored in their database. I had the perfect gift in mind to give our dear friend Mudd who was gracious enough to lend us a hand in taking down the androids.

* * *

"Well, you must be very unhappy, Spock." Leonard said as he looked to his Vulcan friend.

"That is a human emotion, doctor, with which I am unfamiliar. How could I be unhappy?" Spock asked.

"Well, we found a whole world of minds that work just like yours-logical, unemotional, completely pragmatic-and we poor, irrational humans whipped them in a fair fight." Leonard said as he rubbed his hands together. "Now you'll find yourself back among us illogical humans again." Leonard smiled at Jim who simply listened to the two carry on in their little friendly jokes.

"Which I find eminently satisfactory, doctor, for nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans." Spock shot back.

"Touche, Bones." Jim chuckled as Allyson came strutting, practically skipping, back with Khan trailing behind her, glueing herself next to Leonard. "Well, doesn't someone seem happy."

"I am indeed, Jim." Allyson said as she clasped her hands behind her back. "I came up with the perfect parting gift that Khan helped me bring to life."

"And what may that be?" Leonard asked before they were rudely interrupted by Mudd putting up another of his temper tantrum.

"I've never heard of anything so revolting. We'll soon get to the bottom of the-" When Mudd finally saw the little group surrounded by different series of androids he stomped his way over to them, wagging his finger in Jim's direction. "Kirk! Now, what's all this I hear about having to stay here?"

"Yes, Mudd. You've been paroled to the android population of this planet." Jim said with a smile.

"Oh, this just makes it even better." Allyson quietly commented, still with a permanent smile on her face.

"The androids have been reprogrammed. Their original purpose was to adapt this planet for productive use. They'll begin that work again." Spock nodded his head.

"But-but what do I do?" Mudd tried to plead for leniency as we tried to walk around and ignore him. "Kirk, I'm no scientist."

"No, you're an irritant. You'll stay here and provide a first-class example to the androids of a human failure. They'll learn by close observation how to avoid ones like you in the future." Jim responded as Allyson went to stand with the last of the remaining crew of the Enterprise that needed to be beamed back aboard their ship.

"How long?" Mudd asked a bit downhearted.

"As long as you continue to be irritant, Harry. It's up to you." Jim shrugged his shoulders.

Mudd started to sulk before he looked behind him and shrugged his shoulders. The man supposed that if he was going to be kept here for a very long time, at least he'd have a pretty view with these lovely ladies to look after him. "Well…I suppose…that taking everything into, uh, consideration, as it were," Mudd went about studying the different series, completely entranced by all the beautiful androids around him. "and noting all the different possibilities, I could manage. And as detention sentences go…this one isn't, uh…" Mudd lifted his finger and placed it under another different android series. "too…uncomfortable," Mudd was distracted for a bit before brightening back up. "And I'm back in the galaxy again!"

"Yes!" Allyson jumped in. "And as congratulations, as well as a thank you for your assistance, with the help of a few of the reprogrammed androids I thought I would give you a parting gift. A special android attendant to take care of your every need. She'll keep you on your toes and urge you to be the best man you can be."

"Well…I call that unexpectedly civil of you, Commander DeLuca." Mudd was a bit taken back by Allyson's lively attitude, but he smiled nonetheless.

"Yes, I figured we got off on the wrong foot so I thought I'd pay you back in kind." Allyson motioned behind Mudd. "Norman!"

"Harcourt!" A shrill female's voice came from the direction Norman was standing in waiting and in walked Stella, well…the android version of Stella. "Harcourt Fenton Mudd, what have you been up to?" Mudd, in a panic, went over to the Stella android and tried to use the usual command that used to work, but found that his simple phrase wasn't working. "Have you been drinking again? You answer me!" _**"Stella, shut up!"**_ "You miserable, conniving toad!" Stella started to wag her finger in Mudd's face as the man tried once more to get the android to shut down. _**"I order you…shut up, Stella!"**_ "Going out all night, and then giving me such silly stories."

When the androids had been immobilized, Allyson had gotten to work on creating clones of his darling Stella, the woman he had deserted after agreeing to marry her. It was impossible for Allyson to bring the real Stella, she wouldn't know where to start, but she did know how to work computers. Allyson thought it was a fitting punishment for constantly insulting her, and for causing her family immense problems along with diverting and interrupting their five year mission for something so silly.

"Harcourt!" A second Stella model came from the same entrance, just as enraged as the first. "Harcourt Fenton Mudd, you've been overeating again and drinking." This Stella poked Mudd in his belly.

"Kirk! You can't do this to me!" Mudd pleaded. _**"You need constant supervision."**_ "It's inhuman."

"I honestly had no part in this." Jim looked to his Second Officer who was reveling in the situation Mudd was in. "Wish I had though."

"You look down on women, so I thought this would make you appreciate them more." Allyson smiled as she listened to the Stella models berating Mudd. _**"I've got my work cut out for me."**_

From behind the crew another Stella had pushed her way through as all of them started to speak at once. "Harcourt!"

And it wasn't just three that Allyson made, she made sure to get her point across that he was going to be here for a _very_ long time as the Stella who joined the fray wore the badge number five hundred.

* * *

"Jim, are you busy?" I knocked on the quarters of Jim's door and entered.

"Ally, come in. I was just finishing up my captain's log for the day." Jim greeted me as the door to his quarters closed behind me. "Gotta tell you, did not enjoy being reunited with our dear friend Harry Mudd."

"I didn't enjoy it either, out of the entire universe we had to run into him." I chuckled. "Anyway, I came here to ask what you did to Leonard and Khan."

"How do you mean?" Jim asked, though the smile on his face told me a different story.

"They seem to be arguing less, I'd even go so far as to say they're actually acknowledging and tolerating each other." I pointed out as I waited patiently for Jim to give me an honest answer. "Jim, what happened down on the android planet?"

"Did you know that along with them being ancient fossils, they are really great at dancing?" Jim asked as he wiggled his brow.

"Stop teasing them about their age." I lightly scolded before shaking my head. "The opportunity never arose to showcase such talents so no, I didn't know that they were good at dancing."

"Well, lets just say that to distract a few of the Alice series, the team that was with me was dancing to imaginary music." Jim smirked. "Khan and Leonard are very light on their feet. You'll have no problem on your wedding day."

"Jim…" I warned as I rolled my eyes. "so, why the sudden change in attitude between the two?"

"I gave them an incentive to cooperate with each other, telling them to keep in mind that their constant fighting is putting a lot of stress on your plate so they should shut up and listen." Jim said, his smile never leaving his face.

"You blackmailed them." I chuckled as I went over to sit across from my friend and captain. "With what?"

"I overheard your Mates agreeing to never speak of the situation ever again. So, just before we left I asked Norman if there was any possibility that there was a recording of our little stunt from surveillance cameras they might have installed to watch over Mudd." Jim reached over to his computer and between his pointer and middle finger he held out a slim silver stick. "Guess they didn't trust Mudd enough to let him be on his own."

"What was their reaction when you confronted them about this little stick in your possession?" I asked.

"I told them that their constant arguing was becoming a hindrance and affecting the performance of my Second Officer. So, either they attempted to make peace with each other, keep the arguing to a minimum or I 'accidentally' send this to every crewman aboard this ship." Jim smiled. "If they agreed to my terms, I promised that this would only stay between us men. They agreed immediately without putting up a fight."

"You're evil." I shook my head.

"Am I forgiven for moving the three of you into one room?" Jim asked.

"You're forgiven, only if I get to see what happened while I was busy running around causing a ruckus." I bargained.

"Deal." Jim said as he inserted the stick into his computer. "I've been watching this show over and over again, alone of course, and I never grow tired of it."

Jim pressed a button on his computer and whatever was on the stick began to play. The two of us watched as Chekov and Nyota were waltzing about, Carol was dancing with Khan surprisingly, while Leonard and Scotty looked to be playing imaginary instruments while also dancing along to the nonexistent tune. They started spinning about, changing partners after partners, and I will admit, alone my Mates were indeed very light on their feet. It was mesmerizing and shocking that I was unable to speak or compliment on their hidden ability…until they had crashed into each other. The two ended up a tangled mess of limbs on the ground causing Jim and myself to burst out laughing at how silly it looked as they scrambled back to their feet.

"Send this to my personal datapad and you're completely forgiven." I said as I placed my pointer finger to my lips. "This will be our little secret."

"If I send it, do I get a free pass the next time I make a mistake?" Jim asked with a hopeful smile.

"No." I quickly shot Jim's request down with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This along with the next few chapters are biased for me, don't get me wrong I love all episodes from Star Trek TOS, but these are possibly a few of my favorites lol. Based on S2E8 (I, Mudd). I mean...he needed to make a return right? Haha.


	25. Infatuation is in the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm abusing the page breaks...I apologize if it starts to get irritating =(

"Thanks for helping train the new ensigns, and for staying behind to practice with me, Carol." I said as the two of us continued to go through the basic hand-to-hand combat techniques that we had learned back in the academy. "When Jim told me that Bentzen, the Lieutenant that was originally supposed to train them had reported being sick, I wasn't sure how to handle such a task without a partner."

"No problem, Commander DeLuca." Carol said as she instinctively ducked when I had lunged forward.

"Carol, we're not on duty anymore. What have I said about calling me Commander?" I half heartedly scolded before lowering my arms, sidestepping another one of Carol's attempts before patting her on the back. "I think we're done for the day."

I went over to the bar that we had put the towels we had brought with us on and tossed one to Carol who easily caught it and used it to pat away the sweat that had accumulated during our hours of workout.

"Thanks Allyson." Carol smiled as she came over to where I had plopped down on the ground to rest. As we were trying to catch our breath, I saw a few of the ensigns sending a smile our way. Carol gave them a timid wave before silently whispering in my ear. "We've sure turned a few heads when we first entered the gymnasium, I suppose they weren't expecting one of their commanding officers to walk through those doors."

"It was like that back in the academy as well, it's also my first time my Marks are actually showing." I shook my head, having worn a sleeveless shirt for comfort. "Let's not mention this to Kahn or Leonard. I wouldn't want them to take it out on the new recruits for staring at me and judging my Marks."

"I highly doubt they're judging your Marks, Allyson." Carol said with a knowing smile as she slid down beside me, leaning her back against the wall. "Are they still fighting?"

"It's gotten better, but they still take every opportunity to make a jab at each other behind my back. I still get the last word in though, and after? They're left sulking in their corners." I shrugged my shoulders. "Thanks again for putting me up for a few weeks while they attempted to settle their differences."

"No problem, it gave us the opportunity to speak in length about SoulMarks." Carol smiled. "Don't worry about those two, men can be so childish sometimes."

"One is 33 while the other has the appearance of a 33 year old but is actually 300, you'd think they'd have grown out of their childish phase. I feel like I'm the more mature of the three of us." I sighed as I rubbed my temples. "Learning how emotional Mate's can get never prepared me for this."

"It's a learning experience." Carol rubbed my back. "I'm sure things will settle into a routine eventually."

"I can only hope. Enough about me and my troublesome duo, have you spoken to Jim about your Mark?" I asked Carol who simply shook her head.

"No, I considered it, but then I remembered his womanizing past. Jim may still want to keep enjoying his bachelor life." Carol shrugged. "I think we're at the point where we've expressed interest in each other, if I feel things have changed and the opportunity arises… **maybe** I'll sit his ass down to talk to him about his Mark and mine. But for now, working aboard the Enterprise with such amazing people, and a gorgeous captain, is enough for me."

"He needs a strong woman to put him in his place." I chuckled. "Let me take a vacation, I have others to babysit on this ship."

The two of us laughed before a few of the ensigns came up to interrupt us. "Excuse me, Commander DeLuca, Lieutenant Marcus."

"Yes, ensign?" I greeted as I looked up to the men that approached us. "How can we help you?"

"I was hoping you could give us some pointers on our stances and a few secret techniques you may know?" One of the ensigns asked.

"Told you your Marks weren't an issue...I think it's something more." Carol whispered, causing me to tilt my head in confusion before she turned back to them with a smile. "Sorry boys, Commander DeLuca and myself are finished for the day. We have an appointment down in the rec room with a friend of ours that we can't be late to."

"Oh…" The first one sounded dejected at the rejection before bouncing right back. "then maybe some other time? I heard from Doctor McCoy that Security Officer Bentzen will be out for some time."

I smiled a bit awkwardly before dismissing them. "Yeah, am I missing something?"

"You're missing a lot. I can say this, they wouldn't do this in front of Khan and Doctor McCoy else we'd have two alarmingly dangerous, and surprisingly frightful when you think about it, Mates scaring our new crew members." Carol nodded her head. "Come on, we don't want to keep Nyota waiting. We must enjoy the remainder of the day."

The two of us were just about to walk out of the training room before the intercom by the entrance to the gymnasium came to life with Jim calling for my attention.

 _ **"** **Ally, please report to the transporter room. We're coming alongside the cargo vessel**_ **Antares** _ **."**_ Jim's voice sounded a bit hesitant. _**"** **They have a bit of an…unusual passenger."**_

I held out my hand for Carol to wait before pressing the button to answer his call. "Unusual how?"

 _ **"** **Just...unusual. Since we're on our way to Colony Five, the Captain had thought it would be best for us to take him the rest of the way."**_ Jim informed me.

"Be right there, Captain." I reported before giving Carol an apologetic look. "Sorry Carol, you go on ahead. Hopefully this won't take too long, I'll meet up with you both in the rec room."

"Jim really needs to give you a break." Carol called with a smile as the two of us exited the training room before going our separate ways.

"The Enterprise wouldn't be able to function without me." I jokingly said as I turned to walk backwards, still speaking to Carol. "I'll meet you there, promise."

* * *

"You called for me, Captain?" I greeted formally once I entered the transporter room, taking note that Jim wasn't alone. Behind him was who I suspected to be the Captain of the Antares along with one of his crewmen, and standing just in front of me was a young teenage boy.

"Ally!" Jim smiled, dropping formalities even when in front of our guests, as he motioned for me to come stand beside him. "I'd like you to meet Captain Charles Ramart of the cargo vessel Antares along with his navigator, Tom Nellis. Gentlemen this is my Second Officer, Commander Allyson DeLuca."

"Pleasure to meet you both." I said as I reached out to shake both of their hands before Jim then motioned to the boy behind us. "And this is Charles Evans. Mister Evans, Commander DeLuca will show you to your quarters."

"Of course. Captain Ramart, Mister Nellis. Safe travels." I bid the two farewell while Jim and I watched as the two men beamed back aboard their ship, and when they were out of sight I turned to the young boy. "If you will follow me Mister Evans."

"Oh, I almost forgot, here." Jim handed me a small disk. "Drop this off to Bones's office before heading to Mister Evans quarters. It's his records."

"Of course." I nodded my head and when I turned back to Charlie I noticed that his blue eyes were looking back at me with conflicting feelings, one of confusion and concern. His eyes traveled down before coming back to hold eye contact with me as he looked between Jim and myself. "Is there something wrong?"

"A-are you a girl?" Charlie stuttered, and I could only smile. I had no idea what he had gone through to ask such a thing, it would be rude to ask Jim to tell me more about Charlie and the conversation he had with the Antares, so I had no right to judge. I could only be patient as he looked back at Jim for conformation. "Is that a girl?"

"That's a girl." Jim confirmed as I saw him attempting to hold in his laughter.

When Charlie looked back at me, I nodded my head slowly and delicately reached out to urge Charlie to follow me, shooting Jim a look as he continued to smile.

"We'll take a quick trip to medbay to drop off your files." I informed Charlie as I led the way. "Doctor McCoy will probably test your physical capabilities, a mandatory procedure on our ship, but you have nothing to worry about. Just listen and do what Doctor McCoy asks of you and after I will show you to where you'll be staying for the remainder of the trip until we reach Colony Five."

"You smile a lot." Charlie complimented as he came to walk beside me.

"I have no reason not to smile." I honestly confessed, and it was true.

"You…" Charlie hesitated before coming to stand in front of me, stopping me from continuing forward. "do you like me?"

I was a bit taken back by his sudden question before shrugging my shoulders. "Of course, I don't see why not."

"Some…the other ship, they didn't like me. I tried." I observed as Charlie seemed to close in on himself, receding back to the times he was on the Antares as his jaw clenched up. "I'm trying to make people like me. I want them to like me."

"I'm sure most boys your age do." I said, though I was unsure myself, I wasn't very observant when it came to boys showing interest or wanting people to like them. "I'm sure if you just be yourself, people will like you." I then motioned to the entrance of Leonard's medbay. "And, here we are. Doctor McCoy!"

"Ally." Leonard seemed to perk up the moment we entered his medbay.

"Doctor McCoy, this is Charles Evans." I handed him the file that Jim had given me. "These are the files that were given to us by Captain Ramart about Charlie."

"Thank you, Commander DeLuca." Leonard nodded his head in thanks. "Well Charlie, we're just going to ask you to do a few tests, nothing too strenuous. My nurse will take you through the motions, and we'll be right with you after we look over your files."

"I…I don't want to." Charlie looked nervous as soon as one of Leonard's nurses came up beside Charlie, smiling in assurance as she attempted to lead him away. "I don't want to be alone."

"It's okay Charlie. You're not going to be alone." I assured. "They won't hurt you, they just want to make sure that nothing's wrong with you. You can trust us."

"O-okay, Miss Allyson." Charlie nodded his head before closely following the nurse who led him away and onto one of the medbeds.

"Really taken a liking to you." Leonard commented as I followed him into his office.

"I've only just met him," I chuckled. "he wasn't even sure if I was a girl. He seems like a nice kid."

"Well then, lets see what his files say." Leonard said as he inserted the disk into his computer. I went over to grab the free chair and moved it so that I was settled beside him. "Charles Evans, lone survivor of a transport ship that crash landed on the planet Thasus. Thanks to the Antares, they saved a boy who was completely alone on that planet. He may be a teenager, but his development is still that of a boy."

"His speech is perfect, I wonder how he learned that." I hummed as I leaned on Leonard's shoulder, reading the file along with him.

"I'd like to ask him myself." Leonard flipped through his file. "Seems his closest living relatives are on Colony Five, not in our way considering we'll be passing through that section. Seems only logical that the Antares ask us to take him."

"Still though how could he survive his whole life alone, a young boy, on Thasus." I just couldn't fathom being so young and trying to survive alone without any company to depend on at that age. Leonard took a few more minutes reading over Charlie's file while I just rested on his shoulder before Charlie came rushing into the office unannounced.

"Miss Allyson. Doctor McCoy." Charlie said with his coat that he came aboard with slung over his arm. I sat up as Leonard nodded to Charlie. "The nurse said I was finished."

"Very good Charlie, we're just about done here. I just have a few questions concerning your experience on planet Thasus." Leonard reached over to turn off his computer monitor. "Uh, the ship's supply of food concentrates couldn't have lasted fourteen years, how did you manage?"

"Oh um…after that I found other things to eat, just…growing around." Charlie replied.

"And how did you learn to talk…?" Leonard curiously asked.

"I listened to the ship's tapes. The memory banks still worked. They talked to me, and I talked back." Charlie smiled proudly.

"Well, it seems like there's nothing physically wrong with you." Leonard smiled. "Commander DeLuca will take over from this point on."

I got up from my seat and was about to follow Charlie out before he quickly pivoted on his heels to look back at Leonard and myself. "That-that captain…Kirk?"

"Yeah." Leonard leaned back into his chair.

"Why does he call me Mister Evans?" Charlie asked.

"Cause that's your name." Leonard pointed out.

"He's not…well he isn't like Captain Ramart." Charlie said.

"Well, no." Leonard and I smiled. "Captain Kirk is one of a kind, Charlie."

Charlie nodded his head, happy with that answer before looking back at me expectantly, moving to the side to allow me to lead him.

"I'll see you around Leonard." I waved goodbye before escorting Charlie out of Leonard's office and his medbay.

"Can I go explore this ship, Miss Allyson?" Charlie politely asked me.

"Sure you can, let's just get you to your quarters-" I was about to say before Charlie interrupted me. "It's okay, Miss Allyson. If I get lost I'll be sure to ask someone to take me to you."

"Well…Captain Kirk had asked me to show you to your room…" I placed a hand under my chin in thought before looking back at Charlie, his hopeful blue eyes staring up at me pleadingly. I sighed as I gave in. "If you promise to be careful, I don't see the problem."

"Promise." Charlie said before running off, not even waiting for me to say anything more.

* * *

It's been a few hours since Charlie had gone off on his own adventure around the Enterprise, hopefully he wasn't getting in the way of some of our working crewmen.

I was so busy worrying about Charlie, and deeply concentrated on getting to the rec room to meet up with Carol and Nyota that I didn't realize I had passed Charlie until he had come running up to catch up with me.

"Miss Allyson!" Charlie called out to me causing me to stop in the middle of the corridor.

"Oh! Hello Charlie, sorry, did I pass you?" I asked as Charlie shook his head.

"I brought you a present." Charlie smiled gleefully as he handed me what looked to be a vintage style crystal perfume bottle just big enough to fit in my hands.

"Oh, well thank you Charlie, that's very kind of you." I said as he placed the bottle eagerly into my hands. "Are you enjoying exploring the ship?"

"It's so big." Charlie commented. "There's so many people."

"The Enterprise has to be this big in order to fit almost five hundred of us." I smiled before realizing that I was keeping Nyota and Carol waiting. "I'm sorry Charlie, I don't mean to leave you, but I have to go meet a few of my friends."

"Do you like that kind?" Charlie asked, stopping me from leaving. I looked down at the bottle and was surprised. This was indeed something that I love and still wear.

"It's my favorite Charlie. I've been meaning to refill mine." I perked up before looking a bit lost. "Where did you get it? They don't carry these in the ship's stores, I tend to find things similar, but never this brand."

"It's a present." Charlie shrugged off my question.

"Well…thank you Charlie." I repeated once again before waving goodbye. "I'll be late, I must be going."

"Can't you stay and talk a little while?" Charlie once again attempted to stop me. "Or maybe I can come with you."

"I'm afraid this is more…for the girls." I said as I watched Charlie look away, his heartbroken expression got to me as I tried to find another solution. "Let me have a few hours with them and you can join us later? Recreation room 6 on deck 3."

"You got a deal, friend." Charlie smiled excitedly, but as I turned to leave I felt a slight sting on my bottom half taking me by surprise. No one has ever done that to me, not even my Mates.

"Charlie." I called to the boy who looked back at me with worry.

"Oh, I thought…don't be angry. I didn't…" Charlie started to speak, rushing over his words, trying to convey how sorry he was. "I wanted…"

"It's okay, Charlie, but you can't just go around slapping girls on the…" Charlie looked so crushed, probably scared that he did something wrong and that I wouldn't like him. I should be reprimanding him, but I don't think he even knew why it was wrong in the first place. "Just don't do it again."

"Don't be angry." Charlie pleaded.

"I won't be." I assured Charlie. "If you want to know why you shouldn't do that to any girl again, talk to Captain Kirk or Doctor McCoy…they can explain it to you better. Okay?"

"I will." Charlie was quick to agree.

"I'll be seeing you shortly, Charlie." I smiled as I turned to leave.

* * *

"He's a very…curious young man." I sighed as I sat in the recreation room with Carol sitting to my left and Nyota across from me, just finishing telling them what had happened between Charlie and myself on my way to meet them. Nyota had set out to pour the three of us a glass off…whatever alcoholic drink our ship had to offer before taking a light sip from her cup.

"So, what did you say to him?" Carol asked.

"I told him to ask Jim or Leonard why he shouldn't do that." I shuffled the deck of cards in my hands before dealing them out. We had realized that though we had our datapads to entertain us, it was fun to sometimes play with a physical deck of cards. "I was a little uncomfortable by such a public display of…whatever that was."

"You should've gotten angry at him." Nyota sighed. "If he doesn't get into some sort of trouble, he'll end up doing it again."

"He's just a young kid, coming from me it wouldn't hit as hard compared to if Jim or Leonard sat him down to talk to him." I reasoned. "I wouldn't even know where to begin, while they would tell it to him straight."

"Jim was probably younger then that." Carol giggled. "Charlie doesn't know any better, being alone on a planet without anyone to teach him right from wrong, I think getting mad at him would only confuse him, cause him to close himself off to people."

"Hello Commander DeLuca." A few of the new ensigns that were part of my class earlier today greeted before walking away to take one of the empty tables behind Nyota.

"Someone seems very popular nowadays." Nyota commented, a smile on her face.

"They're just greeting their commanding officer. I do that in passing as well." I shrugged before Nyota gave me a look. "What?"

"Ally, they're pining for your attention." Nyota pointed out.

"Are they?" I asked as I took a quick glance behind Nyota, realizing that the ensigns were attempting to be discreet when looking in our direction. "I didn't even notice. They could be looking at you two."

"Possibly, but they did ask for your attention earlier today." Carol said. "Do not notice when guys notice you?" Carol asked and I shook my head.

"I tended not to notice any advances that were being made, more so now that I've found my Mates." I shrugged. "They'll realize that I am not interested and move on to the next lovely lady that walks in their path."

"And what about Charlie?" Carol asked.

"What about Charlie?" I flipped a card over, matching the suit and the number, I think we were playing war? I don't know what Nyota called it, I just listened as she explained the rules.

"I smell puppy love." Nyota jokes.

"I-I don't know what that is." I smiled nervously, honestly having no clue what neither of them were getting at. "I'm assuming that it's another word for infatuation?"

"Ally…" Carol sighed as she reached out to cling onto me. "how has Jim not corrupted that pure mind of yours."

"Anything he says tends to go in one ear and out the other." I laughed. "Speaking of love and infatuation, Nyota, your Mate's here with his harp. I think he wants to serenade you with a romantic ballad."

"Shut up." Nyota smiled as she greeted Spock who went over to sit at the far end of our table. "Will you be the entertainment for this evening?"

Spock ignored Nyota, though a smile was still on his face as he started to tune on his harp.

"Everyone has their hobbies on their day off." I said as I listened to the peaceful strings that were being strum, a tune that was lulling us into a sense of calm as we continued to play…whatever game we were playing. "I think I won…" I mumbled with Carol agreeing, calling the game mine as she gathered the cards together and dealt them out again.

"You sure you haven't played before?" Nyota asked.

"Never, but I am good at paying attention to the rules." I giggled. "Beginner's luck as the saying goes."

As we played another round, with me being the dealer as Carol and Nyota played, Spock started strumming the strings on his harp and just as I was placing the cards in front of us Nyota started to hum a beautiful tune that seemed to accentuate Spock's playing. Though, with Nyota's loud humming, Spock immediately stopped his playing causing Nyota to realize what she was doing.

"I'm sorry." Nyota looked over to Spock. "Force of habit I suppose."

Carol and myself exchanged some knowing glances, if it was a habit then that could only mean that Nyota constantly serenaded Spock and vice versa when they were alone.

When we thought Spock was going to stop playing, he sent Nyota a loving smile before continuing his strumming, this time sounding more complicated then the first. This small little action was a sign that Spock wanted Nyota to continue.

"I bet he loves her singing." Carol whispered to me as I continued to deal out the cards since it was my turn to watch the game.

 _"~Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray, down by the walls of wapping, where I met a sailor gay~. ~Conversing with a young lass, who seem'd to be in pain, saying 'William, when you go, I fear you'll ne'er return again'.~"_ Nyota started to sing, she truly did have a lovely voice, and we were lucky enough to get a show while we rested and played our little game.

This song I'm sure everyone knew, it was an old Earth love ballad…about a woman who met a sailor, fell deeply in love and no matter her riches or if he was poor, she'd wait for his return. Fitting, considering we're basically futuristic versions of sailors, many people here I'm sure have loved ones waiting for them at home. And instead of a ship at sea…we have a ship in space. _"~My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me,~"_ Nyota went over to Spock, laying her hands gracefully and lovingly on his shoulders as Spock continued to play. _"~but my jolly sailor bold.~"_

There was more to the song, anyone who knew it would know, but Nyota had decided to skip a little further ahead as she came back to stand in front of us. She took the glass she was drinking out of and held it out for us, waiting I suspect for us to do the same? Carol copied Nyota's action, waiting patiently for me to follow, and when I finally bought my cup up the three of us had clinked our glasses together. _"~Come all you pretty fair maids,~"_ Nyota continued to sing. _"~wherever you may be, who loves a jolly sailor, that ploughs the raging sea~. ~While up aloft in storm, from me his absence mourn, and firmly pray arrive the day he's never more to roam.~"_

I was too entranced by Nyota's singing that I didn't even realize that Charlie had come up behind me, not until he started to tap my shoulder.

When I looked up, Charlie was smiling back down at me and motioned to the deck of cards in his hands. I urged him to wait as I patted the empty seat to the right of me. _"~My heart is pierced by cupid, I disdain all glittering gold, there is nothing can console me…but my jolly…sailor bold…~"_

Nyota started to laugh as everyone present in the rec room started to clap, me included as I smiled back at my friend who's eyes seemed to sparkle, completely trained on her Mate.

"One more time, Nyota!" Carol called out as I nodded my head in agreement. Nyota looked beside me and smiled as Spock started up the same tune he was previously playing.

 _"~His hair it curls in ringlets, his eyes as blue as sea,~"_ Nyota now started to improvise as her eyes never left Charlie. _"~conversing with a young lass, whose soul is pure as gold.~"_ I couldn't help but laugh when Nyota placed her hand over my own. _"~His heart it's pierced by cupid, he loves the glittering gold. Our darlin' little Charlie, who loves a sailor girl.~"_

I smiled as I watched the two continue to sing and play, when suddenly Nyota held her hand to her throat, little huffs coming out as she tried to speak and I saw Spock look down at his harp in concern. To others it would seem like they had just stopped playing and singing, but to me I had noticed that there was no sound coming out from either of them no matter how hard they tried.

"Want to see something?" Charlie suddenly asked me. I turned to Charlie who started to shuffle the deck of cards in his hand, showing me three suits of Queens, he placed the cards face down in front of him and spread them out evenly before looking back at me. "Turn them over."

I reached out and flipped the first card closest to me and to my surprise instead of a Queen I saw a picture of me. I went over to flip the other two and they were the same, pictures of me from different angles. "That's amazing, Charlie! How did you do that?"

"I can do a lot of card tricks." Charlie proudly stated as he gathered the three cards into his hand, again face down. "One of the men on the Antares showed me." Charlie slapped the cards back onto the table, giving it a few seconds before lifting them up and showing to the crewman that gathered that the cards had changed into a Jack, Queen, and a King of the same suits.

"You're really good at card tricks, Charlie." I praised, still surprised as I watched carefully on what he would do next.

Charlie placed four cards, all aces and all suits, face up onto the table, he picked up the ace of hearts and threw the card away. He smiled at me before gathering the remaining ace's and held them to his lips…staring at me intently, but not in my eyes. Charlie's eyes were aimed a little lower.

'Really?' I thought as I reached up to pat my chest, feeling something laminated pressed up against my skin, the boy was good I'll give him that. I reached into my uniform and pulled out the ace of hearts, showing it to everyone before placing it back on the table.

Everyone, including myself, clapped at his performance. It was the first time that I had gotten to see something like that and Charlie seemed happy to be getting so much attention.

"Ally," I heard my name being called, and when I looked behind me I saw Khan and Leonard waiting patiently by the door. Khan pushed through the group that was gathered with Leonard trailing not far behind. "we thought we'd escort you back to our quarters to enjoy our lunch breaks together."

"That's nice that you both coordinated to match up." I smiled before turning to Charlie. "I've got to go, but I'll see you later."

Charlie looked a bit saddened by my sudden departure before he nodded his head slowly. I bid Carol and Nyota goodbye before following my Mates out, settling easily between them as we headed back to our quarters.

* * *

"I heard from Jim that he had asked you to take over training the new ensigns after Security Officer Bentzen had reported in sick." Leonard said as I nodded my head. We had taken to using the island kitchen to eat, Leonard and Khan had at least an hour or so until they had to report back and I was going to enjoy every minute of us being together, peacefully of course.

"Yes, he did." I nodded my head before looking at Khan with concern. "Is that all you're going to eat?"

"Not particularly hungry, besides, as the saying goes…'an apple a day'." Khan stated as he took a bite out of the fruit in his hand without acknowledging that Leonard was glaring at him. "Was there a reason he asked you?"

"Back in the academy after I graduated, when I wasn't studying SoulMarks, I was an instructor. I'd teach any class when the instructor couldn't make it. There was a shortage of instructors for a while teaching basic hand-to-hand combat. So I was always called to take over the class." I pointed out.

"And how were the new recruits?" Khan asked.

"They still need work done, being out of the academy they only learned the basics. There isn't much instinct just yet." I said. "They were very eager to learn more though."

"How do you mean?" Leonard asked as his hand stilled, hovering over the plate he was picking food off of.

"After the session was over, a few wanted some after class advice and tutoring." I said with a shrug. Leonard and Khan shared a look, but I didn't know what that look was for before Leonard went back to eating.

"Let's hope for a quick recovery for Officer Bentzen…" Khan steadily replied as he went back to eating his apple.

"How's Charlie handling the crowds?" Leonard asked.

"He's doing good, he's a bit…immature for his age. But with being on a planet alone with nothing but the ship's memory banks everything is so new to him, I just hope he's not too overwhelmed." I chuckled before realizing that we were having a pleasant conversation for once without all the yelling. "Thank you, the both of you. After the incident on the android planet, things seem more peaceful."

I saw the two of them freeze, but only for a second before going back to eating. I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from laughing knowing full well the reason why. If they were arguing it wasn't in my presence, so long as they didn't get into a physical altercation behind my back. "Whatever happened, you two seem much closer."

"Hardly." Leonard mumbled. "Nothing happened, Jim just decided to take us to the side and have a talk man to man. He made it known to us that we were stressing you out, and we agreed that we didn't want that."

"Plain and simple." Khan covered up with a cough. "Whether we're still arguing, what you don't know won't hurt you."

"Still, I'm happy to be able to spend time with you two." I said before checking the time. "You guys should head back to your stations, I'll clean up here."

"You don't have to do that." Khan advised.

"It's my day off, have a good rest of your shift." I ignored Khan.

"Will you be here after our shift finishes?" Khan asked.

"I'll probably head back to the rec room, but I'll be sure to come get you two before you finish." I waved them off. "I know your schedules, off you go."

* * *

"You know, it was the same thing with Jim back in our academy days." Leonard commented as he and Khan exited their quarters, both needing to walk in the same direction before going their separate ways due to having to take different lifts to get to their section.

"I had always assumed she was the same year as you and the Captain." Khan commented as Leonard shook his head.

"She really wanted to escape her family, and enlisted into the academy as soon as she came of age. Graduated the same year as Spock." Leonard said with a smile, letting Khan in on how truly amazing their Mate is. "She was Jim's instructor for basic hand-to-hand combat. Funny enough, he had asked to get some one on one tutoring as well after classes were over."

"Kirk seems to be well capable of handling himself, going off the punches he thought I deserved down on Kronos." Khan said. "I don't see why Kirk needed those extra lessons."

"You probably did deserve them, and he didn't ask because he needed help." Leonard shook his head, nodding to a passing ensign before going back to conversing with Khan. "It was because he found her…beautiful. Enticing. He was trying to sweep her off her feet."

"A surprise to no one." Khan commented, though from the strain in his voice anyone could tell that that statement had caused something to stir inside Khan.

"Yes, well, his plan backfired. **She** swept **him** off his feet, literally. Jim didn't take into account that she was oblivious to his advances **and** that she was deeply invested in her Marks." Leonard sighed. "What I'm trying to get at, Khan, is-"

"That she's too oblivious to the advances of the new recruits she's helping to train." Khan finished.

"That, or she's too nice to turn them down." Leonard reasoned.

"I'd go with the first." Khan sighed. "So what should, or can, we do."

"I was hoping you could come up with something." Leonard stated.

"You could make sure to do your job and get Officer Bentzen back in working condition." Khan snapped.

"For your information, I **am** doing my job. So, as one of Ally's Mates, help me find a solution! Unless you're perfectly fine with all these new, young, strapping recruits pining for Ally's attention." Leonard glared.

"I'm not _fine_ with it Doctor McCoy. If their intentions are exactly like Kirk's, I'd appreciate it if they would stop." Khan pointed out. "What more can you give Officer Bentzen to hurry along his healing process?"

"I've already given the man all he needs, it is now up to his body to do the rest of the work. Anymore and I could completely kill the man leaving Ally, the only person capable of taking over until Jim finds a more suitable replacement." Leonard said.

"A suitable replacement…" Khan whispered to himself. "I will speak to Kirk about that matter."

"You've got a plan?" Leonard asked.

"While it is true that there is no one who can compare to our Mate as a last minute solution, there is a way to make it known that she is off limits." Khan said. "Though, I think two is better than one. I will, as painful as it is to admit it, need your persuasiveness to get Kirk to agree to my…proposal."

"You are capable of complimenting me instead of constantly insulting the way I work." Leonard gave Khan a cheeky smile. "Well, if it's to make a point I'm in."

"We'll meet at Kirk's office as soon as our shifts are through." Khan said.

"I'll send Ally a message on her datapad that she doesn't have to meet us." Leonard turned to leave. "Try not to lose your temper and break things."

* * *

"Commander DeLuca!"

When my name was called I turned to see one of the ladies that I was mentoring. Tina Lawton, she was assigned to our ship as my second should the occasion come when I am unable to report to my station. "Hello, Ensign Lawton."

"Fancy seeing you Commander." Tina smiled, she was so young that it always took me by surprise the age difference between us. Just like Chekov, Tina is a young eighteen year old just out of the academy, her scores got her assigned under me. It was predicted that she would be one of the few to be able to handle my station and its responsibilities. "Not on duty today?"

"I was training the new recruits earlier today, now I don't know what to do with my time." I smiled at Tina. "Where are you off to?"

"I just came from the bridge, Captain Kirk had me monitor your station, get comfortable with how everything works." Tina said as she walked beside me. "I don't know how you can do it Commander!"

"It takes practice, and having a clear mind helps, but you'll get the hang of it in no time." I encouraged Tina. "Maybe the next time I'm on shift I'll let you take over and be your support instead of you watching over my shoulders."

"Isn't that too soon?" Tina asked, and I could hear the nerves getting the best of her as she sucked in her bottom lip.

"Captain Pike had told me to learn by doing, and I think that's a great method for people like you and me. Though at least when you try my station out you'll have a safety net to fall back on, not like when I first took the station." I patted Tina on the back. "Don't worry, if things go wrong, I'll act and take over."

Tina instantly brightens up as we continue to walk, she would ask me questions about all the functions of the station along with what else her duties would be, though I told her that we would take it one step at a time. I didn't want to overload her with information no matter how good she was. But as we were about to turn the corner Charlie had come stomping from the other side almost bumping into us.

"Woah! What's the rush Charlie." I smiled before remembering that Tina, who would be the same age as Charlie, was standing beside me. It was a perfect opportunity to have him meet people his own age. I'm sure there are others he can converse with as well if I checked. "Charlie, I'd like you to meet Tina Lawton, I've been mentoring her over the functions of my station aboard the ship. Tina, this is Charles Evans."

"Hello Charlie." Tina greeted, still with a smile on her face.

Though, Charlie seemed to pay her no mind, giving a nod in her direction before looking back to me.

"I thought you might enjoy meeting someone your own age." I said. "There are plenty others I can introduce to you-"

"Can I talk to you…" Charlie asked before pointedly addressing Tina. " _alone_?"

"Charlie," I was about to scold the boy for being rude to someone who was simply being nice before Tina interrupted me, her smile now completely gone. "Excuse me, Commander. I must be wanted somewhere else."

"Charlie…that was very rude." I scolded as I watched Tina storm away. "And completely uncalled for…"

"But I don't want to meet her. I wanted to talk to you." Charlie defended his actions before I shook my head.

"That's no excuse, Charlie." I sighed. "When you start to meet new people, live with them, you have to be nice. You won't be alone anymore, being nice…will get people to like you, it will allow you to make friends."

"But she's not-she doesn't-" Charlie started to speak, trying to find the right words to describe what he wanted to say. "She's not the same, Miss Allyson. Not like you." Charlie looked unsure of himself. "She's-well she's just a girl. You're…you smell like a girl." Charlie smiled and for a second I was unsure how to feel about what he was saying. "All the other girls on this ship, they…they look just like Tina." Charlie shook his head. "You're the only one…who looks like you. You can understand, can't you? You know…about being with somebody? Wanting to be with somebody? If I had the whole universe…I'd give it to you." Charlie reached out for my hand, and deep down in my heart I felt terrible. If this was what I thought it was...going off what I've seen in the academy. I knew I would have to break his heart at some point. "When I see you, I…well I feel like I'm hungry…all over. Hungry. Always…hungry. Do you know how that feels?"

I did know how that felt, it was something I felt toward Leonard and Khan, it was a strong feeling that makes you crave the attention of who you are meant to be with. What Charlie was feeling was different then what I was expecting, this was something more. There was something in his eyes that told me that this wasn't some silly school boy crush.

If I were honest…it concerned me, and secretly…it scared me.

Charlie didn't like that I wasn't responding, he had thrown my hands down and turned away, leaving me standing alone in the hallway.

"Ally!" Jim's voice scared me, causing me to jump and Jim to laugh. "You're not one to easily scare, you usually can hear me before I can sneak up on you. What got your nerves on edge, Commander?"

"Nothing really…" I said while still looking in the direction that Charlie had vanished before shaking my head and changing my mind. "actually, Jim, there is something that's gotten me on edge. If I were honest…I'm scared."

"Oh?" Jim was interested. "Do tell."

"It's about Charlie, I don't…I don't know. It could be something, but at the same time it could also be nothing. I could be imagining it." I sighed. "I understand that he's only 17, but the way he spoke to me just now…"

"I've already spoken to him about the swat. I'd say it put me in a bit of an awkward position, but Ally…" Jim rubbed the back of his head. "if Charlie's actions bother you, to a point where it's scaring you, no matter how old he is, you just have to tell me and I will always listen. You did the same for me back at the academy...listening to me I mean."

"He told me that all girls look alike, but there's only one…me, and I thought that was flattering but then? Then he asked if I knew what it felt to want to be with somebody, that he'd give me the whole universe if he could. He spoke about being hungry when he sees me. There was something about his eyes that…unnerved me." I sighed. "Actually, never mind, forget I said anything. It's silly, I wouldn't want to push him away and tell him to leave me alone. It wouldn't be right at this time. Maybe, it's normal for a boy his age to act this way."

"Ally, it's not silly." Jim placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Charlie needs to understand that there's certain boundaries that can't be crossed when dealing with women. I think by knowing and understanding those boundaries, it would help him in the future when he lives with his family on Colony Five. I'll talk to him, again."

"Thank you." I smiled at Jim, though I was still unsure about confiding in Jim what had just happened. I didn't want to cause any trouble, nor did I want to stunt Charlie's progress with integrating back into society.

"Ally, don't worry about it." Jim assured me once more.

* * *

I had to be very careful how I worded the conversation I was going to have with Charlie. Being a young boy who grew up with no one, no social experience or knowing what personal boundaries were, I couldn't come out and scold him for something he may not realize it was pushing things too far.

The door to my quarters slid open and in came Charlie with the biggest smile on his face. "Come in, Charlie."

When Charlie came up to me his smile vanished as he stared at me, his head tilted to the side as he waited patiently for me to speak first. "Uh…Charlie, please sit down." I motioned for Charlie to take a seat in the chair opposite of me before I continued on. "Charlie, being 17 is more than how many years you've lived. It's a whole other thing. Doctor McCoy could probably explain the biological conditions better then I can." I was stepping around the subject I wanted to talk to Charlie about, with how nervous I was getting you'd think I was about to explain the birds and the bees to the boy. And clearly Charlie was just as confused with what I was sprouting on about, and I could only sigh. I don't know why Charlie looked up to me of all people, I wasn't the best example to go off on. "Well, let's-let's get to the point. Commander DeLuca is a woman."

"Oh, I won't hit her like that anymore." Charlie jumped in as I shook my head.

"No, there's more to it than that." I said as I leaned on my computer monitor as I watched Charlie start to nervously fidget in his chair.

"Everything I do or say is wrong." Charlie strained to get out his words, his whole demeanor changing instantly from the boy that walked into my quarters. "I'm in the way, I don't know the rules, and when I learn something and try to do it, suddenly I'm wrong!"

Charlie started to yell and I had to do my best to keep the boy as calm as he could be to have this mature conversation. "Now wait, wait."

"I don't know what I am…or what I'm supposed to be or even who." Charlie looked at me for answers. "I don't know why I hurt so much inside."

"You'll live, believe me." I commented, we all live no matter how much we hurt, we get kicked down but we must always get back up and carry forward. "There's nothing wrong with you that hasn't gone wrong with every other human male since the model first came out."

"What if you care for someone? What do you do?" Charlie asked. So, I was right to assume, and Ally was right to be concerned, that Charlie was experiencing his first crush with my Second Officer.

"With any girl, you go slow." I said, he didn't have to know what adults really do just yet, it would only confuse him. "You, uh…you be gentle. I mean, it's not a one-way street, you know, how you feel and that's all. You gotta take into consideration how the girl feels, too." I tried to let Charlie down as easily as possible, to squash what he thinks could happen between Ally and himself. "Don't press, Charlie. If a girl feels…anything for you at all, you'll know it. Do you understand, Charlie?"

"You don't think that Allyson…" Charlie started to tumble over his words. "you…she _could_ love me!"

"No Charlie, not this girl, she's not the one." I had to remember that I had to be patient with the boy sitting across from me. This was a young, adolescent boy who was experiencing for the first time time a connection with someone from the opposite sex, and it had to be with the first girl he saw. A girl who had two Mates that I knew would not appreciate such forceful advances being made on Ally. "She has found her SoulMarks Charlie, she is a woman who is already spoken for."

"What-" Charlie looked confused, though his fidgeting never ceased. "what are…SoulMarks?"

'Oh boy...' I thought with a sigh. I had forgotten for a second that Charlie wouldn't even know about SoulMarks, and even if he saw his own Mark he wouldn't know what it was. I really wished I could call for the expert to be here, but I think if Ally was here it would only make matters worse.

But, luck seemed to be on my side today.

The perfect example, the perfect people to prove my point that Ally just wasn't the girl for Charlie, just so happened to knock on my door before barging in. Not even bothering to wait for me to acknowledge them. 'Note to self, apologize to Ally for all the times I did that back in the academy, now I know how annoying it can be.'

Khan and Bones filed into my office, Khan focused straight at me while Bones could only sigh.

"Does no one on this ship understand the concept of waiting for permission before simply…walking in?" Bones stared right at Khan.

"I did knock." Khan pointed out. "Kirk, we have a request."

"I'll get to that in a minute, you two are just the people I wanted to see that could shed some light on Charlie's question." I shushed Khan. "Bones, Khan. Charlie was curious about SoulMarks, you see Charlie was asking about a certain…girl and I told him that the woman he was interested in is a woman spoken for because she has found her SoulMate. Charlie doesn't know about such a concept, so why don't you show him your Marks to help me explain?"

I watched as Bones froze, considering what I was requesting from him while Khan on the other hand had no shame. Khan pulled down the collar of his uniform to reveal Ally's name, and from that Bones reluctantly followed after. Bones turned around and lifted his uniform up to his neck, just enough to show his own Mark.

"Why-why do they both have Allyson's name on their body?" Charlie asked.

"You see Charlie," I motioned for Bones and Khan to fix their uniforms. "SoulMarks lead SoulMates to each other. They are people destined to be together, born for each other. Only SoulMates can make each other complete. Allyson is a special case, she is lucky enough to have two." I bit my lip, as a boy coming into the age of being a man, I figured it would be better to say it straight out instead of dancing around the answer. I hoped that this would show Charlie that he can't make such advances on Ally. "It's impossibly for Allyson to love anyone other than these two, just as it is impossible for any SoulMate to love anyone else once they meet each other." I looked at the two that had entered my quarters. "You two wait outside, I'll be with you in just a moment."

I heard the door to my quarters open and close, but I was watching Charlie carefully as he looked to be in thought before shaking his head. "She can still love me."

"No, Charlie." I sighed, knowing he's hurting, but it had to be done.

"She is the girl." Charlie insisted.

"No." I stood firm.

"But if I did what you said! If I was gentle!" Charlie started to raise his voice once again, becoming frantic and trying to find some sort of other way.

"Charlie, there are a million things in this universe that you can have and there are a million things you can't have." I copied the volume Charlie was using, because it seemed like my point wasn't going to get through to him unless I put some force behind my words. "It's no fun facing that, but that's the way things are."

"Then what am I going to do?" Charlie asked.

"You hang on tight and survive. Everybody does." I said as Charlie looked away from me.

"You don't." I couldn't tell if Charlie was understanding the point I was trying to make, but I could only hope.

"Everybody, Charlie. Me, too." I said before turning to my door. "Wait here Charlie, I'm going to speak to Doctor McCoy and Engineer Singh, and when I return? I think I know what may help you."

Charlie was left alone to think over all that we've talked about, and I hoped this would be the last of his advances toward Ally. When I exited my quarters, just as the door slid shut, Bones was the first to confront me.

"Jim, what was that back there?" Bones questioned.

"A boy's first love…" I sighed. "a boy's _one sided_ first love. Charlie had been making some, intense advances toward the lady that she had come to me with her concerns. I had to use Ally as an example of how some women can't return the feelings of another if she has already met her SoulMate."

"Mister Evans's first love is our Allyson." Khan pointed out. "If you wanted to talk about such a topic you would've called in the expert, but you looked like you couldn't. And to use our situation as an education lesson…I'd say you picked the wrong example. Our situation would confuse anyone who's just starting out learning about SoulMarks and SoulMates."

"Can't fool you." I shook my head as I leaned against my door. "Ally had a problem just a while ago of Charlie basically confessing his feelings toward her, she was about to brush it aside as a simple infatuation of an adolescent boy, but from what I saw back in my quarters? His feelings toward his first love have become almost…obsessive."

"Then you were right to ask us to show our Marks." Khan said. "Being blunt and to the point is better than dancing around the subject."

"Let's just hope that's the last incident, if not…" I dreaded to think what I'd have to do, or even what Ally would go through. "anyway. You two wanted to ask me something?"

* * *

Nothing can beat the entertainment of books, they told a story both on the pages and out. I had found an old copy of one of my classic favorites from a secondhand shop during our last trip back to Earth. Though worn from the constant reading I still loved every page, cover to cover, and I would always wonder what kind of person had it before me. What they must've felt when reading this very book, there's so much history to an old book.

I was passing time, Leonard had sent me a message saying that I didn't have to come and get them, so I was waiting patiently for the two of them to return. When the doors to our quarters opened I turned around to greet my Mates, I was expecting it to be them after all, but to my surprise and shock…Charlie had walked in.

"Charlie…" I nervously greeted. "what-what are you-"

"I have something for you." Charlie smiled as I saw one of his hands was hidden behind his back. When I stood to my feet to address the problem, Charlie produced a rose from behind his back. "Red roses, they're your favorite."

"Charlie, you don't walk into a room without knocking. I'm not the only one who shares this room." I said as evenly as possible as I started to inch my way towards my computer.

"Don't ever lock your door on me again, Allyson." Something was wrong, I felt like…I was in danger being alone in this room...alone with Charlie. I wish I had ignored Leonard's message like I normally did and went to meet them. "I love you."

"These are my quarters, I'll lock it when I please." I stated as I maneuvered my body to stand directly in front of the button that would call the bridge if I needed it to. "What is it you want, Charlie?"

"You." Charlie insisted. "I only want to be nice to you. I can give you anything, Allyson. Just-just tell me."

"Charlie, if you want to be nice to me, then fine. But I can't return whatever you're feeling." I backed up a little as Charlie started to get a little too close to my body. I pushed the button on my computer, hoping and praying that Jim or Spock was on the bridge right now. Though I had combat experience under my belt, I didn't want to physically harm the teen. "Charlie, I need you to leave. I'm warning you."

* * *

Jim was increasingly starting to lose control of the Charlie situation, after his talk with Leonard and Khan he had taken Charlie to the ship's gymnasium, and it was there that he had learned of Charlie's hidden powers. He had gotten rid of one of his men that had started laughing at Charlie, he had gotten rid of every phaser aboard this ship, and when Jim was having a meeting with Spock and Leonard ,Jim had found out that Charlie was the cause for the destruction of the Antares.

Jim thought there were some weird things happening aboard his ship, but he didn't expect that Charlie was the cause of it all. The threat that is Charlie started to escalate when he had cut off our communication console, and prevented us from diverting off the course to Colony Five.

'Never a dull day…' Jim thought as he sat in his usual spot, thinking over what he could do to gain back control of his ship, and of the boy.

 _ **"** **Charlie, I need you to leave. I'm warning you."**_ Jim suddenly heard Allyson's voice come through from the intercom on his chair.

 _ **"** **But I only want to be nice to you."**_ Charlie's voice followed soon after.

 _ **"** **Get out, Charlie. I can't make it any plainer than that."**_ Allyson was now holding firm, any sign of kindness long gone from her voice as she tried to hold her ground.

"Spock." Jim urgently jumped into action, calling for his First Officer as the two of them made their way to the lift. "Contact Bones and Khan, tell them to drop whatever they are doing and quickly make their way to their quarters."

On their run from the bridge to Allyson's quarters Jim had hoped that they would make it in time before Charlie did anything stupid, and Spock had gotten out his communicator to inform Leonard and Khan of the situation.

The two being the closest had gotten to Allyson's quarters first, and when the door slid open Jim saw Allyson being held firmly in Charlie's grip as she struggled to get away. Jim had tried to grab for Charlie, wanting to pry the boy away from his Second Officer only to be thrown back, his body colliding into Spock's as they went crashing into the wall behind them.

"Captain!" Allyson yelled in alarm, having seen for the first time Charlie's hidden power.

"Jim!" Leonard yelled as he and Khan entered their shared quarters, Leonard having gone over to check on his two friends while simultaneously Khan's sights were trained on Charlie, his eyes lowering to see the boy's hands on his Mate.

Khan jumped into action, intent on forcefully throwing Charlie off of Allyson by any means necessary before his body froze. Every muscle in the augment's body was straining against the imaginary restraints that kept his body in place.

"Allyson's Mates. With you around…she can't love me." Charlie whispered. "With you gone, Allyson is free to love me."

"Charlie! You leave them alone!" Allyson, at hearing the threat being made toward her Mates, threw her conviction out the window. Charlie was a boy, but he had injured her best friends, and he was threatening her Mates. If he was intent to do harm to others it was her duty to stop them no matter the age.

Allyson had gotten her hands free and shoved Charlie away, her sudden strength taking Charlie by surprise as she pulled her hand back and slapped Charlie across the face. "That's enough, Charlie!"

Charlie, in shock and feeling a slight sense of betrayal, used his powers and before the eyes of the men in the room Allyson had vanished.

"Why…why did she do that?" Charlie asked no one in particular as he stared at where Allyson used to be. "I loved her, but…she wouldn't accept me. I could've given her anything she wanted! Why…why didn't she want me?"

"What did you do to her?" Khan asked as Charlie came up to stand face to face with the incapacitated augment.

"What you were going to do," Charlie addressed as he looked behind Khan to the men huddled by the wall. "what you did wasn't nice at all!"

"What. Did you do. To Allyson!" Khan yelled at the boy, his steel blue eyes now lit as he stared murderously at the young boy.

"Khan…" It was Leonard that had tried to calm the augment down. "Charlie, bring her back."

"I can't…" Charlie said as he furiously shook his head. "she's gone." _**"** **Charlie,"**_ "What you did wasn't nice, but I still need you, Captain. The Enterprise isn't quite like the Antares. Running that ship was easy. You have to be nice," Charlie turned back to look at Khan. "you all have to. All right?"

To emphasize his threat, Charlie had sent a shockwave of pain through the abdomen of each man, showing the true extent of his power along with what else he could do should they decide to step out of line. "If any of you try to hurt me again, I'll make a lot of people go away. I can do anything I want!" And with that threat lingering in all of their minds, Charlie left, and after a few seconds Khan was able to finally move his body.

"I'm going to murder that boy!" Khan was enraged, he was about to storm out after Charlie before Leonard stood to his feet and placed his hands on Khan's chest. "Let me go McCoy!"

"You kill that boy, and we'll never get Allyson back!" Leonard got into Khan's face. "Use that genetically enhanced brain of yours! You go after Charlie, and he makes you disappear? Think of how that will affect Allyson if we are able to bring her back!"

"She's dead." Khan pointed out.

"You don't know that! Charlie is our only chance to bring her back." Leonard tried to reason with the augment.

"Khan," Jim slowly got to his feet, groaning at feeling the ghost of the pain in his abdomen. "if you can't control yourself, I'm ordering you and Doctor McCoy to be confined to this room. If you can…then we need to think of a way to get Allyson, along with my ship, back."

Khan turned to look at Jim, then back at Leonard, before shoving the doctors hands off him. "What do you plan to do about the boy, Kirk."

* * *

One minute, I was in my quarters, and the next? I'm on the bridge, in front of my colleagues and friends, in nothing but my shirt and shorts…exactly what I was wearing before Charlie had barged into my quarters.

"Ally!" Leonard yelled out as I turned to where his voice came from and ran up to my doctor, my arms wrapping around his neck as his arms circled around my waist, I buried my face in the crook of his neck as he lightly lifted me up.

"What the hell happened?" I tried to wrap my head around what was happening as I pulled away, and then becoming self conscious as I realized what I was wearing. "How did I-"

"It's all right, Allyson." Khan came up from behind me, shielding my body with his own as I turned to face him. He leaned forward and placed a kiss to the top of my head. "You're back and safe…"

"Sensors show something's there." Spock reported as we turned our attention to our viewscreen. "Deflectors indicate no solid substance."

On screen there was a green haze that materialized out of thin air taking the shape of a ship before Charlie let out a defiant scream.

"No…please, don't let them take me." Charlie started to beg. "I can't live with them anymore!"

Just beside the screen the head of a man started to appear, a holographic image perhaps? Popping in and out of consciousness really makes me out of touch with what is going on on our ship, it confuses me, and I was getting tired of missing out on all the fun.

"You're my friends." Charlie pleaded as he looked at Jim, before turning to look at me causing Khan to move even closer to use his body to block Charlie's view of me. "You said you were my friends, remember?" Charlie's voice was getting louder when Jim didn't respond. "When I came aboard!" Charlie started to shuffle closer to where Jim sat, I noticed that he was breathing heavily as if he had just been in one of his bar fights. "Please…I want to go home. Take me home."

 _"I have taken my form centuries ago, so that I may communicate with you."_ The head of the man started to speak. _"We did not realize until too late that the boy had gone, and we are saddened that his escape cost the lives of the first ship. We could not help them, but we have returned your people and your ship to you. Everything is as it was."_

"Oh, I won't do it again." Charlie continued to beg. "Please, I'll be good. I won't ever do it again." Charlie looked back at the floating head. "I'm sorry about the Antares…I'm sorry! When I came aboard." Charlie turned back to Jim. "Please…I want to go with you. Help me!"

From behind Khan, I saw Jim carefully get to his feet, his hand on his abdomen for support as he addressed the floating head. "The boy belongs with his own kind."

 _"That would be impossible."_ The head denied.

"With training we can teach him to live in our society." Jim tried to reason. "If he can be taught not to use his power…"

 _"We gave him the power so he could live."_ The floating head pointed out. _"He will use it always, and he would destroy you and your kind, or you would be forced to destroy him to save yourselves."_

"Is there nothing you can do?" Jim asked, still showing kindness even after everything that Charlie had put us through.

 _"We offer him life, and we will take care of him."_ The floating head said before turning to the cowering boy besides the captain's chair. _"Come, Charlie."_

"Oh, please…" Charlie looked to the rest of us that was present, looking for someone to speak up. "don't let them take me. I can't even touch them! Allyson…" Charlie came running up to where Khan was hiding me, not getting very close due to my Mate who stood as an obstacle in his way. "they can't feel. Not like you. Not like you! They don't love!" I rested my head against the center of Khan's back, reaching out to grip his shirt as I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling tears that were threatening to fall. Sure, Charlie did some terrible things and possibly more during my absence, but his pleas for help…it broke my heart. "Please…I want to stay…"

I felt hands being placed over my ears, startling me, before I recognized them to be Leonard's hands that shielded me from hearing anymore.

"Charlie's back on board the Thasian ship, Captain." Nyota reported. "They signaled they're leaving."

"Bones. Khan." I heard Jim say. "Take Ally back to your quarters."

I didn't hear if any of my Mates responded, I was simply led away to the lift, and once inside I let the tears fall. Reaching out to whoever was the closest for comfort, I didn't care who and it didn't matter, I just wanted any form of comfort from either of them.

"I'm tired…" I whispered as whoever I grabbed gently pulled my hands away from gripping their sleeves to linking their fingers with mine, the hand was more rough and I knew it was Khan based on the color of his sleeve. He didn't mutter a word, just stood there as I scooted closer, reaching out with my free hand to Leonard and forcefully dragged him close so that I was safely sandwiched between them.

* * *

"I'm sure Jim would've understood if you needed to skip today's lesson." Carol tried to reason with me as the two of us made our way to the gymnasium the next day after the whole Charlie ordeal.

"I didn't want to be alone, when I am I could still hear his pleas for help." I shuddered. "I need to be out and about, working."

"Did Leonard and Khan have to report for duty today?" Carol asked.

"You know, I don't know what they had planned today, as far as I knew today was their off day." I replied honestly, and when we made it to the gymnasium the new recruits were already standing at attention. Most were tense, shaking in fear and sweating profusely, and it only took me a second to see the reason why.

"We were just wondering where you two went." Carol smiled, going over to greet Leonard who was standing just by the door.

"What's going on here?" I asked in confusion as I went up to Khan for answers.

"You said that a few ensigns had asked for extra practice sessions, that they are very eager to improve their skills, so I had a talk with Kirk about training the new recruits and he agreed." Khan replied, though his eyes never left the trainees. "Who better to help than someone who was trained to be a weapon?" Khan turned his head down to look at me, his eyes softening as a hint of a smile graced his features. "Rest if you like, enjoy your time with Lieutenant Marcus and Lieutenant Uhura."

I didn't know what to say, so I simply did what I thought felt right. I stood on my toes, reached out to caress his left cheek before placing a kiss to his right. "Go easy on them."

"I don't know the definition." Khan turned his head back, glaring at the recruits before I left him to work his magic.

"Make sure he doesn't kill anyone." I whispered to Leonard, copying the same action I did with Khan though Leonard seemed to lean into my hand, wanting the contact to last a little longer.

"It's why I'm here." Leonard smirked. "We'll see you in an hour or three."

As the doors to the gymnasium closed, a sudden chill went up my spine, and when I looked to Carol it looked as if she felt the same thing I had.

"Should...should we stay and make sure they behave themselves?" I asked nervously.

"I think-" Carol was about to say before there was a loud yell of pain and orders coming from the other side of the door. Carol took my shoulders and started to lead me away. "I think we should do what Khan said and enjoy our time together!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used the song Nyota sings because I just love that song, it's so haunting. If you want a reference if you go to youtube and type in "My Jolly Sailor Bold" by Ashley Serena, she does a really beautiful rendition of it.
> 
> Another one of my favorite episodes! Based on S1E3 (Charlie X), though the ending is sad, I wanted to show a small glimpse of jealously that would happen with Khan and Leonard. While Allyson is like an open book, I'd like to think these two handsome men can be very calculating on their attempt to get men to stay away from Allyson. They have the power to do so haha.


	26. Through the Looking Glass P.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Slight dark themes. Mentions of torture, injuries and blood.

"I see that you've changed your uniform." Spock commented as the two of us started walking to the transporter room.

"For some reason Leonard and Khan protested against my modified uniform, they persuaded me to start wearing the standardized women Starfleet uniform." I said as I rubbed my arms, still getting used to them being as exposed as it was for the first time in public since…never. "Said I don't have to hide and be ashamed of my Marks from this point on."

"Indeed," Spock said as we were greeted by Lieutenant Kyle who was manning the transporter console at this time. "with you having distanced yourself from your family, being ashamed of your Marks seem…illogical."

I smiled, it's been so long since Spock and I had any sort of conversation that I kind of missed our little small talks.

"You think the Halkans would agree to allowing the federation to mine their planet for their dilithium crystals?" I asked Spock.

"It's hard to say. The Halkans way of life is one of peace. Though the federation has shown historical proof that our mission is one of peace, the future to the Halkans is still undetermined. What could be our mission of peace now, could mean using it for destruction in our future." Spock hummed. "We must leave it up to the Captain's ability to be persuasive to accomplish such a task."

"I understand Nyota, Scotty and Leonard being part of the landing party, their role to demonstrate how we mean no ill will toward the Halkans and the usefulness of those crystals to us, but was it wise to bring along Khan?" I asked.

"Are you asking from a logical standpoint? Or are you asking because both of your Mates are down on the Halkan home world and you're concerned for their safety until they are back on the Enterprise." Spock asked.

"…from a logical standpoint…" I glared lightly at Spock.

"Khan is simply there for security measures. Even with a peaceful civilization, there's still a possibility of people down there that could easily change their belief." Spock stated.

 _ **"** **Kirk to Enterprise."**_ Jim's voice came through from the transporter intercom.

"Spock here, Captain." Spock responded.

 _ **"** **Report on magnetic storm, Mister Spock."**_ Jim ordered.

"Standard ion type, Captain, but quite violent and…" As if on cue the ship started to shake causing the two of us to sway with the movement of the ship as we attempted to stay upright. "and unpredictable."

 _ **"** **Rough ride?"**_ Jim joked.

"If we stay." Spock pointed out.

 _ **"** **Stand by to beam up landing party. Plot an extended orbit to clear disturbance. Kirk out."**_ Jim said as I relayed the information to Sulu on the bridge, copying Jim's exact orders word for word in a lower tone of voice to try and mimic our captain.

"Aye, Commander." I heard Sulu, along with hearing Chekov in the distance, both chuckling and laughing at my antics.

 _ **"** **Enterprise. Transporter room, energize."**_ Jim gave the command as I offered my assistance to Lieutenant Kyle.

We watched in anticipation as the outline of the landing party came into view, but something was preventing them from completely materializing back onto our ship. "We're having trouble establishing contact, Lieutenant Kyle, fall back to support."

"Yes, Commander." Lieutenant Kyle said as I tried to balance out the connection, attempting to figure out what was wrong as I tried to bring their scattered particles together. I was able to compensate for the ion storm as we watched their solid outline appear, fading just for a second before they materialized. I smiled and patted Lieutenant Kyle on the back for a job well done when we finally got our landing party back on board.

But our landing party seemed to be acting a little strange, they were looking down at their uniforms as if they were seeing it for the first time, and they seemed a bit dazed as a few of them stumbled off the platform.

"Captain?" I walked up to Jim who started to back away with each step I took, looking a bit startled at seeing me. "Jim, is everything okay?"

"Admiral DeLuca." Jim smiled as he looked to have his guard up when he spoke to me. "I thought by now you would've left our ship alone."

"I'm…I'm not an admiral, Jim." I looked to Spock for some sort of answer, but he looked just as confused as I was.

"You can't fool me, DeLuca. And since when have you called me 'Jim'?" Jim spat, and I was a bit taken back when I saw such hatred in his eyes as he walked around me, completely ignoring my presence. "Spock, where's my private security."

"Private security, Captain?" Spock asked.

"Yes, my private security, where are they?" Jim sounded impatient as Spock and myself exchanged a look before Spock took command.

"DeLuca, please call for the Captain's _private_ security." Spock said as he motioned toward the intercom. "Status of mission, Captain?"

"No change, we'll follow through with the standard procedure of the Empire. Have Mister Sulu program phaser barrage on the Halkan cities." Jim ordered.

'The Empire?' I thought as I called for security. "Transporter room to security, we need five officers down here immediately."

 _ **"** **Yes, Commander."**_ I got a response back.

"Commander?" Jim asked as he turned to look at me. "You wouldn't be caught dead being called _Commander_ , Admiral DeLuca."

"…yes, a mistake on his part." I mumbled.

"Are you feeling alright, Captain?" Spock asked as we waited for our officers to report to us.

"Now that you mention it, we felt a little dizzy while transporting back onto my ship, I speculate it was the fault of the Lieutenant that was in charge of compensating for the storm. I hope that you administered the proper punishment for causing such a rough ride." Jim said.

"…I have…perhaps you should get yourselves looked at before reporting back to the bridge." Spock offered a solution. "Did something happen down on the Halkan planet, Captain?"

"They wouldn't comply, per orders from the Empire we are to annihilate them." Jim was growing furious. "Mister Spock, why aren't you relaying my orders to Mister Sulu?"

The security that I had called entered the room, and I quickly intervened to give them a different order, whispering quietly so that the landing party wouldn't hear while Spock kept Jim occupied and talking. "We'll be escorting Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura, Doctor McCoy, Engineer Scott and Engineer Singh to the brig. But do not utter a word of this change of plan, just secretly start leading them in the direction of the brig. Mister Spock and myself will be right behind you to offer some assistance should anything happen."

The officers nodded their head as they went over to Jim and the landing party. "Your private security, Captain Kirk." I notified the group.

"Good, and I will not repeat myself anymore Admiral DeLuca, I want you off my ship. I don't care what you had to talk to me about. I told you I wasn't going to listen." Jim warned as he, along with the landing party, started to follow the officers out the room. As they were leaving I made sure to call for more security to report and meet us in the brig.

"What do you think happened, Spock?" I asked as we followed the officers out, keeping a fair distance between us as we stayed watching the group carefully.

"The Captain spoke about an Empire, saying that if the Halkans didn't comply then we were to annihilate them. Starfleet's mission is one of peace, Captain Kirk spoke of destruction." Spock said.

"There was a surge of power from the ion storm during materialization, the transporter lock could've been affected." I notified Spock on what I had observed. "It's possible that it's the cause for their odd behavior."

"We must figure out the extent of the damage that was done during the storm, maybe then we can figure out what happened to the landing party along with how to fix it." Spock said though his voice seemed a bit too mechanical for my liking. "If we can fix it."

"Worried about Nyota?" I asked as Spock turned his eyes down to look at me.

"Wouldn't you be worried about your Mates?" Spock asked and I nodded my head.

"We'll figure it out together…" I assured as we started getting closer to the brig. We watched as more security officers met up with the first group and when they started to lead the landing party in the direction of the brig instead of sickbay the landing party started to get anxious. Barking out the opposite of our previous orders, yelling out in defiance, resisting and asking for answers.

When they got no answer, the landing party started to fight back and struggle. I noted that even their way of fighting was different then their usual fighting techniques. They were acting irrational, brash, brutal, and our security officers were having problems controlling the situation due to not wanting to injure the people they were supposed to respect and answer to.

"What is the meaning of this!" Jim started to lash out, punching away the men that were trying to hold him down, and it was only when more people started to join to lend some assistance did their struggle relent…for the most part. They were still trying to get out of the officers grip but they were getting exhausted, and one by one they were thrown into the brig.

I did notice that out of all of them, Khan seemed to be avoiding all the confrontation, being the first to willingly walk into the cell they were going to be held in. Jim was still the only one that kept attempting to break free as he started yelling at the top of his lungs even when he was thrown into the cell. "You're all traitors! I'll have you all executed for this!"

"I think not." Spock and myself walked into the brig just as they finally got Jim fully into the cell. I reached down and pressed the button that would seal them inside. "Your authority on this ship is extremely limited at the moment, Captain. I am relieving you of your position of command until we can figure out what exactly happened during transport. With how barbaric you four are acting, we cannot allow such savage ways to freely roam our ship."

"Spock, you traitorous pig. What the hell is going on here! What is with these uniforms? Where's your beard!" Jim demanded erratically as he ran up to slam his fists against the invisible barrier that separated them from us. "Has the whole galaxy gone insane?"

"We cannot answer any of your questions at this time." I shook my head as I watched Leonard begin to pace in the cell and Khan sticking to the far corner, distancing himself from the others.

"Have you turned on me, Spock? Enlisted Admiral DeLuca, using her power, to take me out so that you can take over command of my ship? What did she offer you? Whatever it is I can offer it as well, double it!" Jim accused. "What is it that will buy you?"

"Fascinating…" Spock said as the two of us left.

"They're acting…completely out of character from their usual selves." I thought out loud as we walked side by side out of the brig. "Jim had called me _Admiral_ , Spock."

"Yes, I heard." Spock said. "If we were thinking of possibilities, though impossible, with them acting…opposite of themselves, some kind of transposition has taken place. Or, something in the transporter affected them negatively that brought about their unusual behavior."

"Is there a way to return them back to normal?" I asked with concern as I took a glance back to the cell they were being held in.

"I will look over our ships circuits personally to assess the damage that's been done. Considering that we've lost our Chief Engineer along with Khan who would've taken over if Engineer Scott became indisposed, we need to see what can be repaired." Spock responded.

"I can check down in engineering. You should head back to the bridge." I volunteered before Spock shook his head.

"No, I want you down here, keeping a close eye on them. Running some tests to see if they've been affected psychologically. Learn what you can from them." Spock ordered. "If a transposition did not take place, then we have to avert our attention elsewhere to fix the problem."

"Yes, Captain." I said as I turned back around to head back to the brig.

* * *

Our landing party had beamed back to the Enterprise, but things have been subtly altered, physically as far as we could tell for now. Spock with a goatee, behavior and discipline has become brutal, savage as we just witnessed Spock torture a poor Lieutenant for not compensating during the ion storm.

"Mister Scott, the storm has caused some minor damage in your section. There are also injuries requiring your attention, Doctor." Spock commanded, and when Bones and Scotty didn't respond Spock seemed to get impatient at the lack of action. "Well, gentlemen?"

"Mister Spock?" Lieutenant Kyle groaned, pushing through his pain, as he made his way back to the console.

"Yes?" Spock turned his attention to the terrified Lieutenant.

"The power beam jumped for a moment, sir, just as the landing party was about to materialize. I never saw it happen before." Lieutenant Kyle said.

"Due to your error, Mister Kyle?" Spock walked back over to the console, ready to pass judgment once more.

"No, Mister Spock. Before." Lieutenant Kyle denied.

"Possibly a result of the severe storm. Captain," Spock concluded before asking for my attention. "did you feel any abnormal effects?"

"Yes." I agreed, turning to Bones. "Doctor McCoy, you better look us over. That was a rough beam-up."

"Yes, sir." Bones kept up the act as we turned to leave.

"Mister Spock," I stopped just before exiting the room. "have those transporter circuits checked."

"Yes, Captain." Spock, his expression hard as he continued to stare at our group. "Before I forget, our guests are becoming alarmingly hostile aboard our ship. Captain, you cannot keep **her** waiting any longer."

"…understood. I will speak to her after Doctor McCoy has looked us over." I nodded my head, wanting to quickly leave and get back to someplace quiet where we could talk about the situation we found ourselves in.

Though as soon as we exited the transporter room, officers that were passing us by placed their fist to their chest before thrusting it out in a salute.

"Captain, what is all this?" Scotty asked in a hush tone.

"How did we get into-" Nyota started to ask as I looked around, noticing that the halls seemed to be extremely busy compared to our own ship.

"Not now." I whispered out a warning as I motioned for Nyota to lower her voice. "Not now."

We needed to be careful, wherever we ended up, this wasn't our Enterprise. The uniforms were different, the emblem was strange, the behavior of our crew was flipped upside down. We needed to get to medbay immediately.

"Get out of the way!" A voice from behind us yelled out. "Move!"

At hearing such a loud warning we had turned around to see some burly, intimidating, intense, and quite terrifying officers compared to the normal men I saw roaming our ship marching toward us. They were shoving people out of the way, glaring at any lowly passing officers that were too slow to move aside, and one of them even grabbed the lapels of an officers uniform and lifted them off their feet.

"Ah! Captain Kirk! There you are!"

I knew that voice….knew it well, and though it was familiar there was also something off about it. Coming straight for us was Ally who was at the very heart of the humongous wall of muscle. Just like Spock her whole demeanor, and attire, was different.

Midriff showing, a black coat thrown haphazardly over her shoulders, black crop top with a tight fitted black pants tucked into her knee high boots, and a golden sash tied securely around her waist. Her hair fell to her shoulders in waves, but her eyes were mismatched. Her left eye, though her typical brown, held no mirth but her right eye was a milky white with an ugly jagged scar running diagonally from the tip of her brow down into her cheek. A psychotic smile gracing her features showing a tiny scar on the left corner of her mouth. Though she was smiling, her eyes remained dead and blank.

"Hello." I greeted as I copied the salute that I've seen many of the officers give to me.

"Captain Kirk, welcome back. How was your mission on Halkan?" This Allyson had asked me.

"Nothing's changed." I responded as she let out a sarcastic, overdramatic, sigh.

"'Tis a shame, there goes some really good resources." Allyson said before glaring back at me. "Now, Captain Kirk, I've been on your boring ship for the past three days, and you've been purposely avoiding me. Keep me waiting any longer and I will be forced to do something…unexpected. Your ship is filled with Vulcans, but don't underestimate my abilities, believe me I will destroy every last one of them and your crew if I have to till you give me the attention I need. I will walk all over their dead bodies just for a few minutes of your time."

"Yeah, sure, of course Allyson." I said before one of the men standing beside her took a threatening step forward, reaching out to grab my uniform and forcing me to stumble forward as he pulled me in his direction.

" _Admiral_ DeLuca to you. Show some form of respect for keeping our lady waiting for as long as you did." The man threatened.

"Easy…" Allyson smiled gleefully as she placed a hand on the man and forcefully pushed him away. "You know, Captain, I should be upset that after three days you decide to submit so easily to my request, quite anticlimactic if I do say so myself, but I'm not. Surprisingly."

" _Admiral_ DeLuca. I apologize for keeping you waiting." I said as I turned back to examine her men. "I promise, once we get ourselves checked over by Doctor McCoy, we can talk about whatever business you had with me. You'll have my full attention."

Allyson's eyes widened, her head tilted to the side as she crossed her arms over her chest before smiling the widest smile I've ever seen. "If you'd been this way three days ago I would've been out of your hair by now. I love when things go so easy don't you?" Allyson asked her men. "You see, Captain Kirk, when I woke up today I thought I would be destroying another Imperial ship, it would've been so much fun…but you've gone and ruined my plans and my entertainment. But I suppose it's also a good thing, I hate the cleanup and the paperwork along with having to explain to the Empire my reasoning for randomly destroying another of their ships…" Allyson shrugged as she turned to walk away. "I do love me some torture and destruction, but I hate cleaning up the mess."

I watched as Allyson started to mumble to herself as she walked away, taking it as she had dismissed us as I motioned for the others to follow me. "This way, come on."

We turned into the medbay and once the doors were closed, feeling safe without anyone being able to listen in on our conversation we were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"What is this?" Bones asked as he looked at the absolute mess that was scattered about around his desk and in the medbay. "Everything's all messed up and changed around, out of place."

This medbay wasn't the usual scene that I remembered, it was a mess, there was…medical equipment scattered about, recognizable and illegal torture devices from other civilizations hanging on the wall, and on closer inspection there was traces of blood splattered on the equipment, both fresh and old.

"Captain, what's happened?" Nyota asked.

"No, not everything's changed. That spot-" Bones said as he pointed to his desk. "I spilled acid there a year ago."

"And you didn't clean it?" Khan asked as he stood by the door to make sure no one would come in.

" **I** cleaned the one in my office!" Bones defended himself before looking back at me. "Jim, what in blazes is—"

"I don't know." I shook my head, I truly didn't quite understand what was going on. "It's our Enterprise, but it isn't. Maybe…"

"Maybe what, Captain?" Nyota turned to follow as I went over to the computer.

"Any of you feel dizzy when we were in the transporter beam…when we first materialized?" I asked, the four around me either nodding or voiced their agreement in regards to what I was asking. "It happened twice. First we were in our own transporter chamber, then we faded. And then, when we finally materialized, we were here, whatever this is."

"Captain," Scotty interrupted. "the transporter chief mentioned a surge of power. The transporter lock might have been affected by the ion storm and we just materialized somewhere else."

"Yes, here." I nodded my head. "Not our universe, not our ship. Something…parallel, a parallel universe coexisting with ours on another dimensional plane. Everything's duplicated…almost."

"Mirrored." Khan whispered as he looked to be listening close to the door. "This crew on this Enterprise? More savage, unforgiving, and the Empire? That woman, _Admiral DeLuca_ , isn't the Allyson we know."

"Another Enterprise. Spock with a beard." I started to mumble.

"Another Captain Kirk, another Doctor McCoy, and—another…" Nyota started to realize the gravity of our situation.

"An exchange." Bones said. "If we're here-"

"Then our counterparts must have been transporting up at the exact same time. Similar storms on both universes disrupted the circuits." I said. "We're here, and they're-" Dear god…if we're here and our counterparts are on our ship…then? "on our Enterprise, probably asking the same questions. Are we in another universe, and if so, how do we get back to our own? They'll use the computer, and we have to."

"What about the Halkans?" Bones followed as I went to his computer desk. "We can't let them be destroyed."

"Scotty, can you buy me some time?" I asked. "Get below and short out the main phaser couplings. They'll think the storm blew the standby circuits."

"Aye, Captain." Scotty nodded.

"Then get on this technology. Take Khan with you. It's all we have to work with if we want to get back home." Scotty went over to Khan, the two nodding before I called back to them. "The intercom may be monitored. Use your communications for private messages. Sub-frequency and scramble."

"Yes, Captain." Scotty and Khan left the medbay leaving Bones and Nyota with me.

"Uhura." I motioned to Nyota.

"Yes, sir." She stepped forward to the other side of the desk.

"Get up to your post. Run today's communication from Starfleet Command. I want to know my exact orders and options, if any." I ordered.

"Yes, sir." Nyota nodded her head, though she seemed a bit nervous as she turned to leave. I saw her hesitate before turning back to me. "Captain, I-I'm…"

"Nyota, you're the only one who can do it." I assured her, nodding my head with an encouraging smile. "I'll be right there." Nyota nodded, mustering up the courage and walked through the doors to make her way onto the bridge leaving Bones and myself alone.

"Bones, let's take a look at the library. We have a lot to learn." I said as I gathered the scattered disks all around his desk before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Your counterpart is incredibly messy."

"I'd probably be the same way." Bones said as he helped to organize his belongings. "Ally tends to clean up after me even when I tell her not to."

"She does look out for her Mates." I sighed. "I don't know what she's like in this universe…but judging off the men she keeps in her company? It can't be good."

"I don't want to stick around to find out." Bones said as we started looking over the disks we had in our hands.

"I didn't realize how toned Ally was." I commented before a chill went up my spine.

"Jim," Bones evenly called out my name in warning. "Khan isn't the only one who could turn violent when it concerns our Ally. I suggest you keep your eyes to yourself."

* * *

"Admiral," Kirk, I'm going to resort to calling him Kirk simply because this wasn't our Jim, kept calling for my attention for how long? I lost track of time, I was more irritated than anything. At first I had tried to speak to Kirk, but he couldn't speak without yelling at me, so I resorted to simply ignoring him. "Admiral DeLuca!"

"Yes, Captain Kirk." I finally gave in, going over to the invisible barrier and standing face to face with Kirk who smiled in triumph at finally gaining my attention.

"Admiral DeLuca, your reputation really precedes you." Kirk chuckled as he leaned against the barrier. "You really are quite an interesting officer."

"I've told you before Captain Kirk, I'm no Admiral. I've never been an Admiral. Ever." I glared at Kirk.

"You know, your reputation in the Empire had made it known that you were insane, though I didn't think to a point where you'd forget your own rank." Kirk commented under his breath. "Is this what you do, Admiral? Make a captain question his reality, question the motives of his crew? Make them go crazy, and then strike them when they're at their lowest?"

I sighed, there didn't seem to be any point trying to have a reasonable conversation with this man. So, this time I tried a different approach, I played along. "The Empire, Captain?"

"Don't you remember the very people you serve?" Kirk chuckled.

"I serve and answer to no one, I do what I want to do without care of the consequences." I stated. "Do enlighten me, Kirk. Who am I supposed to answer to?"

Kirk continued to stare at me, he didn't seem like he was going to answer, he just simply casted the line and waited to attract me. I followed the line, but I wasn't going to take the bait.

"The Terran Empire…" Another voice interrupted, bringing our attention to the silent man that had taken to sitting in the far corner. "rules by terror, the Imperial starfleet acting as its iron fist. Fascistic, oppressive, racists, and xenophobic."

"What happens aboard an Imperial Starfleet ship?" I asked Singh.

"Officers promoted themselves by killing their superiors, killing off people who didn't convert to the Empire. Torture was a common form of interrogation and discipline." Singh informed me. "Officers live in constant fear every single day, waiting and watching for the next knife to be aimed at their back. Everyday could be their last."

"I see…" I mumbled before Kirk started to cynically laugh.

"If you are planning to take over my ship, Admiral DeLuca, this!" Kirk motioned to the cell they were in. "Seems pretty cowardly and low considering your standards of assassination, dear Admiral."

I shook my head and went over to the far end of the room, away from the cell and out of earshot before making a call to Spock's communicator. _**"** **Commander?"**_

"Captain, I have some information thanks to Mister Singh." I said as I turned my back to avoid the constant staring from Kirk. "You were correct to assume that an exchange was made, it would seem that these aren't our original landing party."

 _ **"** **I suspected so."**_ Spock hummed.

"Spock, please tell me there's a way to return them back to wherever they came from and get our friends back." I silently begged.

 _ **"** **I cannot say just yet, we can only hope that our Captain Kirk is thinking clearly, wherever he may be, compared to the Captain Kirk we currently have being held in our brig."**_ Spock said.

"I'm worried…" I mumbled as I retold what Singh had told me. "if their Enterprise is just as he says, if their Starfleet is that unforgiving…what would happen if they're found out to be, well, not themselves." I was rubbing my head at the slight confusion.

 _ **"** **If Captain Kirk in our brig didn't catch on that something was wrong, then I can only assume that our Captain Kirk did, and our friends are safe."**_ Spock said. _**"** **But, I'm only speculating based on what we know now. We've noted that they seem to be acting the complete opposite of how we know them to be. Like a mirror, a duplication of our image, but reversed."**_

"Like…a parallel universe?" I asked.

 _ **"** **Precisely."**_ Spock said. _**"** **If I can replicate-"**_

"Commander DeLuca!" A panicked voice called for my immediate attention, and when I looked behind I started to panic, instantly cutting Spock off as I ran back to the console that controlled the brig. Inside the holding cell, the McCoy and Kirk counterparts had started to get into a physical altercation.

"Go outside and grab any passing officers! Quickly!" I jumped into action as I pressed the intercom on the console. "I need security to the brig!" I then took over and reached for the release button as the invisible barrier opened causing both men to stumble and fall to the ground. I took note of the blood that stained their uniforms. I held my phaser out and aimed it at Scott, Uhura, and Singh. "Any attempt to attack me, I will be forced to put you on the ground, and I'd rather not resort to making that call."

I watched as Singh reached out and placed his hand on both Scott and Uhura as I went over to the two that were wrestling on the ground. Kirk and McCoy held our Starfleet issued daggers in their hand, daggers that we rarely use and only carried as a last resort should our phasers fail us. Blood completely coated Kirk's blade while McCoy's only seemed to have a small amount of it on the tip of the blade.

I reached out, grabbing Kirk by the back of his uniform, and gave a strong tug catching Kirk off guard as I separated the two men. When he staggered over his feet I had punched him across the face before shoving him away, his body tumbling backwards and into the arms of the security officers that just now decided to enter the brig.

"Take him and put him in his own cell!" I yelled in anger as I kneeled beside McCoy's body.

"Yes, Commander!" One of the security officers responded.

I saw a massive amount of blood around McCoy's left eye, and when I heard him groan in pain I looked up and glared at Kirk as his stunned body was thrown into his own cell. "What the hell is wrong with you that you would attack your own CMO!"

'Dammit!' I thought as I bit the bottom of my lip. "Doctor McCoy? I'm going to bring you to one of the cells, can you stand?"

McCoy didn't answer, simply got to his feet with both his eyes closed as he felt his way around the brig. I sighed as I watched him for a few seconds struggle before getting up and settling into his side, lifting his arm up and over my shoulder so I could support him as I started to lead him in the right direction.

"Commander DeLuca." The voice of Singh caught my attention as he attempted to step forward, only to be stopped by one of our security officers. "I can watch him until you return with the necessary equipment to treat the Doctor."

"And I can trust you how?" I spat. "I didn't expect your Captain to attack one of his most trusted officers, yet here he is with an injury to his eye."

"Because I am a man of peace, Commander. I have given you no reason not to trust me." Singh responded as he lifted his arms up. "Search me if you like, I am unarmed. I never carry a weapon."

"As insufferable as he is," McCoy spoke up as I led him to the bed, hearing him groan as he slowly eased himself down. "I feel more safe with him, then the others at this time."

I hesitated before nodding for the security officer to let Singh through, coming into the cell that was situated to the left of where they were originally being held.

"Lieutenant, lock the cells, make sure nothing else happens while I'm gone." I instructed, stepping out and away as the invisible barriers were put back into place. "I'll be right back with my medical bag to tend to Doctor McCoy's injuries."

* * *

"Communication status?" I asked as I entered onto the bridge, noticing that there were more security officers posted by the lifts and around the bridge than normal.

"No storm damage, sir. All stations report normal." Nyota reported, hopefully as normal as to not arouse suspicion, before she lowered her voice so that only I could hear. "You're ordered to annihilate the Halkans unless they comply. No alternative."

So, this is the type of world Starfleet led, what we would've become if things had been different, a world with no mercy. Convert or be destroyed. I went over and took my position, being weary of my navigation and pilot who sat at their usual spots.

"Phasers locked on target A, Captain. Approaching optimum range." Sulu informed me as our ship maneuvered closer to the Halkan planet. "Commence fire, Captain?" I needed to do something, a whole planet wiped out simply because they wouldn't agree to allow us access to their dilithium crystals. Sulu, impatient and awaiting my orders, turned his head to look at me and I saw the large scar running down the right side of his face beside his eye. "Captain?"

"Stand by, Mister Sulu." I gave out the order, before the intercom from my chair began to whistle. I pressed the button to patch whoever was calling through. "Kirk here."

 _ **"** **Phaser report, sir. No damage."**_ Scotty said, sounding just as disappointed as I was about hearing the news.

"Very good. Thank you, Mister Scott. Kirk out." I said as I heard the lift behind me open and in walked my First Officer, Mister Spock who came to stand by my side.

"Planet's rotation is carrying primary target beyond arc of phaser lock." Spock relayed.

"Shall I correct orbit to new firing position?" Sulu asked, awaiting my orders once more.

"No." I shook my head and at my answer I saw my First Officer go on alert at my sudden decision.

"Lock on to secondary city." Spock took over, giving out an order to Sulu.

"Aye, sir." Sulu said as he reprogrammed the coordinates into his console.

"Lieutenant Uhura, contact the Halkan Council. I wish to talk to them again." I ordered without taking my eyes off the screen in front of me as I heard Nyota confirm my request.

"Captain?" Spock asked with curiosity.

"This is a new race." I pointed out. "They offer other things of value besides dilithium crystals."

"But it is clear that we cannot expect their cooperation." Spock argued. "They have refused the Empire. Command procedure dictates that we provide the customary example."

"Secondary target now moving beyond our phase lock." Sulu said, keeping us informed of what's going on while Spock and myself debated on the best course of action.

"Put phasers on standby, Mister Sulu." I ordered causing those that were under my command to glance back at me as if I had sprouted another head.

"A serious breach of orders, Captain." Spock silently warned.

"I have my reasons, and I'll make them clear to you in my own good time." I said.

"Captain, I have the leader of the Halkan Council waiting on channel B." Nyota cut in as I nodded for her to put him on the screen. When I saw the familiar face of the Halkan leader, I took notice that he was also slightly different than that of the leader from our universe. While ours seemed at peace and put together, this one seemed disheveled and accepting of his fate.

"It is useless to resist us." I warned as the man on the screen shook his head.

 _"We do not resist you."_ The man said.

"You have 12 hours to consider your position." I was hoping that he would see how serious the situation he was in. He'd condemn his whole planet, his people, to death.

 _"12 years, Captain Kirk, or 12,000—we are ethically compelled to deny your demand of our dilithium crystals, for you would use their power to destroy."_ The man defended his decision.

"We will level your planet and take what we want. That is destruction." I threatened, though I could not back up the threat with much force since that isn't what I wanted to do. "You will die as a race."

 _"To preserve what we are."_ The High Councilman nodded his head.

"We will not argue. 12 hours. No more. Close communications." I ordered Nyota. "Turn phasers off."

"Aye, sir." Sulu said as he turned back to give me a look as if I completely lost it.

"12 hours, Captain?" Spock repeated. "That is unprecedented."

"I shall be in my quarters." I informed Spock. "Lieutenant Uhura, have Doctor McCoy, Mister Scott, and Mister Singh meet me there."

Nyota was about to respond, requesting that she come along before I shook my head. I needed her here on the bridge to keep me up to date if things change.

"Captain, you have placed yourself in a most grave position." Spock warned just as I was about to leave. "This conduct must be reported."

"You are at liberty to do so, Mister Spock." I agreed, at this point, I needed to do everything I could to make sure that the Halkans survived along with my crew…at least the crew that arrived in this universe with me.

I entered the lift and it was only when the doors closed did I realize that Chekov had followed me inside.

"Deck five, sir?" Chekov asked and I nodded my head, he seemed normal, or as normal compared to our Chekov. No physical changes that I could tell.

When the lift stopped and the doors opened, I walked out and was met with a fist to my face, stunning me as I staggered backwards. From both sides my arms were grabbed and I was dragged away from the lift and held against the far wall.

Chekov stepped off the lift, his phaser aimed directly at me as he had a triumphant grin on his face. "So you die, Captain, and we all move up in rank. No one will question the assassination of a captain who has disobeyed prime orders of the Empire."

"A captain disobeying prime orders?" A female voice asked as the tapping of heels against metal echoed through the hallway, getting closer and closer with each step. "Did my ears fail me? Has _THE_ Captain Kirk, the cold blooded Terran killer, disobeyed the Empire?"

"Admiral DeLuca." Chekov greeted, dropping his phaser in fear as from his left I saw the woman stride toward our group. "I did not expect to still see you on the ship."

"I haven't left," Allyson, Admiral DeLuca, said as she looked on in boredom as she went up behind Chekov and grabbed for the hand that was holding the phaser. She lifted his arm up and aimed it right back at me. "Don't stop on my account. If you're going to kill the captain, do it. He did after all defy the Empire, didn't he?"

Seriously? She wasn't going to stop him? They weren't going to stop because an Admiral was present? What the hell is wrong with this Starfleet!

Chekov seemed to hesitate for a second before readying his phaser, but before he was able to shoot Allyson had grabbed his arm and twisted it roughly behind his back causing Chekov to drop the phaser and let out a loud yelp in pain. "You were taking too long, young man, and I grew bored. If you plan to hold your phaser to your captain, you best shoot instead of talk."

I felt the grip on my arms slack as we watched Allyson administer a hard kick to Chekov's back back causing my navigator to go head first into the wall, knocking him out cold on contact and in their distraction I shoved the man to my right forward and got one of my arms free. Allyson bent down, grabbed the phaser on the ground and shot it at the crewman on the ground, his body disintegrating on contact.

The man to my left had recovered, holding onto my arm tightly as I struggled to get free, but when I got my arm out of his grip I reared back and elbowed him into his chest. Tossing him toward Allyson who sidestepped as the man slammed into the wall behind her. Allyson had done the same thing to the previous man and gotten rid of him for me before aiming at the one who wore the blue jumper.

"Apologies, you'll have to kill the captain after I've had a talk to him." She said with a smile, having gotten excited at the prospect that she had killed two of my men, and as she was about to do it again I reached out to stop her. "Captain Kirk?"

"It's alright, Ally." I said before realizing my flub. "Admiral DeLuca."

"This man was in league with your navigator," Allyson stated as the doors to the lift opened. "I would take care of him before he gets a chance to do it again."

"Admiral. Captain." The two new officers that came out of the lift greeted.

"You're the Captain's personal security aren't you? Fat lot of good you two did." Allyson scolded. "If I didn't happen to be walking in the halls, your captain would've been dead. You would've moved up in rankings sure, but I think you two would've been disposed of. You know, with you two being Kirk's personal guards. I, an Admiral, did your jobs for you."

"Get him out of here." I ordered as I looked back at Chekov's unconscious body.

"I may have broken his arm, might want the good doctor to take a look at it." Allyson gleefully smiled.

"I was always on your side, Captain Kirk. I notified Mister Farrell of Mister Chekov's possible attempt." The crewman said. "I was going to catch them off guard, but the Admiral appeared before I could."

"I don't doubt that." I said before I heard Allyson mumble under her breath behind me. _**"…** **I do…"**_

"Mister Chekov was going to make me a chief, sir. You could make me an officer." The man smiled.

"All right, you're working for me." I stated.

"A commission?" The man asked.

"You're in line. You might even make captain." I smiled.

"Yes, sir." The officer said before I went to punch the guy out.

"Not on my ship." I said as I wiped the blood from the corner of my lip.

"The booth for this one, sir?" Mister Farrell, apparently my private security guard, asked as him and the other officer held Chekov's body between them.

"Just get him out of our sights." Allyson said when I failed to respond. "Take him, along with the groveling man on the ground, to the booth. It's what they both deserve."

"I would've liked a little more blood being spilt…but phasers do a fantastic clean up job." Allyson said as she tossed me the phaser. When the men were out of sights Allyson spoke as she looked over her nails. "You should know better than to let your guard down like that, Kirk. I've been on this ship for three days, seen several assassination attempts on your life, and this is the first time I've seen you make such a simple mistake."

"Yes, well…the transporter really did a number on us." I sighed. "Thank you for the help."

"Don't thank me, I would've let him kill you if I didn't still have business to discuss with you." Allyson said after being content with how her nails looked. "Loyalty is slim in the Empire, you best keep that in mind. We kill to move up in rankings, that's how it's always been done."

"And that's how you became Admiral?" I asked as she laughed.

"But of course! Just as my brother and sister did, except I took over my Grandfather's ship while they took over our Mother and Father's. DeLuca's always keep it within the family. I'm close to becoming Fleet Admiral." Allyson scoffed with pride before the two of us started to walk in the direction of my quarters.

"Captain," Spock came through from another hallway. "I am pleased that you frustrated Mister Chekov's plan. I should regret your death."

"Thanks to the Admiral for causing a distraction, Chekov had no chance." I instinctively praised Allyson who I saw look up at me incredulously. "Why would you regret my death, Mister Spock."

"I do not desire the captaincy. I much prefer my scientific duties. And I am frankly content to be a lesser target." Spock admitted.

"Logical, as always, Mister Spock." I praised.

"The target on your back lessons when you make sure fear is established. They fear being put to death should their plans become thwarted, so an uprising never happens." Allyson countered. "Loyalty among your ship helps, though loyalty is always hard to come by in this day and age."

"And you have such loyalty among your crew, Admiral?" Spock asked Allyson who smiled with pride.

"I'm not an Admiral for nothing, Mister Vulcan." Allyson said. "I pick and choose my allies carefully. Hence why the Revenant is the most feared among the Empire, my men can't be bought or persuaded to turn sides. Least they bring the wrath of DeLuca upon them, and I don't give second chances."

A scream of intense pain to our right diverted our attention and I saw Chekov being held in a tube like containment as a red beam shot into the boy's body.

"Ah, the agony booth." Allyson smiled as she watched Chekov's suffering on full display. "It's a privilege to see it in action, I haven't had to use ours in ages."

"A most effective means of discipline." Spock nodded his head in agreement. "I presume, Captain, that you've ordered full duration."

"I haven't decided." I said stirring the same reaction from both Allyson and Spock, one of confusion and judgement.

"His act warrants death." Allyson pointed out.

"I said," I raised my voice, looking at Allyson before going back to Spock. "I haven't decided."

"I suppose this is an _Enterprise_ affair. I'll leave you two to squabble amongst yourselves. If there's no death, I already grow bored of your company." Allyson shrugged, before turning her back to us. "Remember my warning, _Captain Kirk_ , watch your back. Always, keep watching your back."

* * *

Roaming these halls seemed off putting for me, I noticed some familiar faces that I've spoken to a few times before, but here I felt alone among faces I recognized. These were officers that have tried to talk to me, hesitantly, when I was first assigned to the Enterprise.

"Man of peace." An officer scoffed the moment I passed. "Hey!"

Was he talking to me?

I turned to the voice and saw a few officers that came stalking up to me, a twisted smile on their faces as they seemed to have cornered me in the hall we were in. I felt the presence of more people come up from behind me and I couldn't help but inwardly scoff, what kind of childish tactic was this?

"Can I help you?" I asked as evenly as possible, attempting to keep my hands glued to my side, resisting the urge to defend myself as one of the men came up to me.

"We were quite bored when you didn't report to your post." The man said. "We told you to come pay us a visit when you returned with the captain."

"I honestly have no inkling how you survived this long in the Empire." One of the other men standing in the background commented. "Simply because you're smart, but you can't even put up a decent fight to defend yourself, and we're ordered to protect you?"

"You owe us for going through all this trouble." The man in front of me spat. "Do you know how much assassination attempts we've had to prevent on your behalf? Simply because Captain Kirk thinks you're useful? You should be thanking us."

"The moment the captain finds no use for you, we'll be the first in line to get rid of you." The lackey chuckled.

'Please…' I thought as I rolled my eyes at their stupid antics. 'is this the kind of man I am in this world? Someone who allows such beings lower than ourselves to push us around?'

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" The man in front of me growled as he attempted to shove me back before realizing that I wasn't going to budge or bow to such a lowlife.

"Seems our little augment grew a backbone in our absence." The man's friends chuckled at the ringleader's expense.

This only seemed to push the man in front of me even more as he went to shove me again, but the moment he blinked I reached out and grabbed the man's throat.

"Man of peace? Little augment?" I scoffed as I tightened my hold. "One can only tolerate so much before I decide to…snap."

"You!" One of his comrades moved to force me to release his friend before an arm came out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around the man's neck.

 _" **You should be thanking us?** " _Admiral DeLuca mocked, chuckling, as she leaned up to the man's ear. "Don't make me laugh, this is a thankless job! You're doing this to make a living for yourself because of your debt to the Empire. What would happen if I were to report that you're failing to do your job? Protecting the little augment? Why…I think he would need protection from you." Admiral DeLuca looked over to me before her brow rose. "Or…is it the opposite? I wonder."

Admiral DeLuca reared her foot back and from behind hit the back of his knees causing them to buckle and fall right onto his back.

"Are we children? Last I checked, we're the most feared beings in the universe that leaves death and destruction in our wake!" Admiral DeLuca declared, stepping forward to stand beside me as she placed her foot on the fallen man's chest as she leaned forward, applying more pressure as she stared into the poor mans eyes. "I hate people like you."

The man I held against the wall ceased his struggling which caused me to release my hold on him as I watched his body fall to the ground unconscious.

"You could've just snapped his neck," Admiral DeLuca gave a hard kick to the side of the man's head, the man she was stepping on, knocking him out before stepping over his body and coming to admire my work. "I wouldn't have blamed you considering if they were indeed bullying you. Nice of you to just make him go to sleep."

I was about to say something before I saw one of the men come up from behind Admiral DeLuca, a dagger aimed directly for her back. I reached out to grab the man's wrist, crushing the bones before taking my free hand and punching him straight in his chest.

"Oh! Now you're planning to kill me?" Admiral DeLuca looked over her shoulder at the man who was trying to recover from the sudden blow. She turned her attention to the remaining men that had drawn their own weapons, preparing to attack if either of us made the first move. I stepped aside, keeping close to Admiral DeLuca as she kept her sights trained on the officers. "Think very carefully on your next move, this man isn't your captain, he's quite low on the Empire food chain if I were honest. If you plan to attack me or Khan, I will make your life hell. Kill me and you'll have my entire crew hunting you down to a point where your dear _Captain Kirk_ wouldn't be able to save you."

When the remaining men looked down at their fallen comrades they began to hesitate, weighing out their options, before Admiral DeLuca made the first move. She had pulled out her own phaser and shot at the men as they looked to be attempting to make a run for it. Their screams of pain and agony echoing throughout the hall before their body vanished.

"Fight or die, fleeing wasn't one of the options." Admiral DeLuca whistled, and on command two of her men rounded the corner, it would seem that even if she could handle her own fights her men were always sticking close by in case things turned out bad. I had to admire their sense of loyalty in this universe.

"Take these three back to our ship, an assassination attempt was made on my life, and I'd like to pay them back in full for giving me some sort of entertainment." Admiral DeLuca giggled as one of the men who was semi conscious, cradling his wrist, started to protest as the Admiral's men started dragging them away. "Bye! Thank you for the fun! I'll be sure to show my appreciation when I return to my ship!"

Admiral DeLuca continued to wave until her men disappeared around the corner, then her attention returned to myself.

"Being a man of peace and against murder…" Admiral DeLuca commented. "you really wanted to snap that man's neck."

"Even the most virtuous man can snap if prodded hard enough." I responded logically as she simply shook her head.

"No, you were excited about the prospect of taking his life." Admiral DeLuca laughed as she reached out for my hand, jumping excitedly. "You were ready to take on all five of them by yourself! That's so exciting!"

I wasn't going to say anything, I just watched as Admiral DeLuca continued to stare at me in wonder.

"Fascinating…" Admiral DeLuca commented. "Interesting...why one would even say….intriguing." Admiral DeLuca nodded her head. "Anyway, I've got places to be, people to torture. I'll be seeing you around Mister 'Man of Peace'!"

Admiral DeLuca started to wander away, disappearing for a split second around a corner before sticking her head to look at me. "Can you point me in the direction of the medbay?"

* * *

"Doctor McCoy!" One of my nurses greeted me as soon as I reentered my medbay. She seemed to be excited about something as she reached for my hand and started to drag me toward the operating room. "We've got a patient to take care of."

"Prognosis?" I asked with concern as the nurse simply shook her head.

"Injured on the job, the poor man." The nurse said, feigning sympathy. "We thought you'd want to place your bet, since the last time we carried on without you you got upset that you weren't part of the game."

"Place my bet?" I asked as my other assistant came to greet us by the door.

"How much pain can our patient endure before he passes out?" The nurse said with a smile, her uniform slightly splattered with dried blood.

Behind the nurse in the operating room I saw the man that had come to our medbay simply to get his injury checked moaning in pain on the operating table.

"Ladies, I think I'll pass on the gamble, just get him patched up before the captain grows angry that there's a missing officer not doing his part for the Empire." I was concerned for the man on the table, and appalled by the actions of my assistants.

"That's no fun, why don't you join in? You can test out the new tools we just got in! We know how much you love to use your equipments." The second assistant asked.

"I'll go get the devices!" The first assistant volunteered, just about to run to fetch them before I reached out and reeled her back in.

"Actually ladies, I'm simply here to get some rest. The trip back from Halkan was a bit rough and the captain ordered me to my office until I'm cleared for duty." I said as I watched the happy expression on my two assistants fall as they seemed to pout that I wasn't jumping on the opportunity to join them. My god…what kind of person am I in this world.

I walked away from the two to where I knew my office to be, and when I shut myself in I let out a sigh as I leaned my head against my door.

"You have quite an extensive amount of torture devices and chains in your office, Doctor." I jumped when I realized that I wasn't alone in my office. I turned around and sitting in my chair with her feet propped up on my desk was Allyson, well…Admiral DeLuca. Not my Allyson. "You're quite kinky aren't you?"

"I'm sorry Admiral, but what are you doing here?" I asked as I kept my back flushed against the door.

"I wandered in here by accident." Admiral DeLuca smiled, though I couldn't tell if she was being serious or joking, before she motioned to my door. "Your assistants asked me the same thing. Judging off the technique they were going to use I betted ten minutes before he passes out from the pain. How much did you bet?"

"I didn't, I wasn't in the mood." I honestly said as I kept my guard up while being in the presence of my Mates counterpart.

"Tell me Doctor McCoy, are you happy on this ship?" Admiral DeLuca asked as she swung her legs off my desk. "Happy serving under Captain Kirk?"

"On this ship? Currently, no." I replied, honestly I wasn't happy being on this ship or being in the presence of this woman who looks like my Allyson, but isn't. "As for Captain Kirk, I'm loyal to my captain."

"As every great officer should!" Admiral DeLuca's voice boomed as she clapped her hands together. "I love people like you, loyal to a fault. I've told Captain Kirk, loyalty is very hard to find in officers nowadays, and if he has them then he should keep a tight hold of said officer else they can get stolen away."

A loud scream came from the operating room, even if it was muffled, it reached my ears and I couldn't help but flinch as I imagined the horror that was going on in my very own medbay.

"Huh, ten minutes exact. I do love being right." Admiral DeLuca smiled. "I have a bet to claim."

Admiral DeLuca looked at me and I wasn't sure if she saw my reaction, but she had suddenly walked up to me to place her hands over my own ears. She waited for a few seconds, standing just close enough so I could see her discolored eyes that widened slightly and I studied the damage that was done to her face. I couldn't imagine what had been done to this woman to gain such terrible scars, and I felt my heart clench as I thought of the possibility that my Ally could've ended up this way if things took a turn in our universe.

Before I was about to comment, ask what had happened, Admiral DeLuca had moved away from me.

"For a man who loves torturing their patients, I never thought a simple scream would bother you so." Admiral DeLuca mumbled before moving around me to leave my office. "The screaming stopped, for now. I suggest you not stay here. Your assistants have other tests they planned to do and they won't be stopping anytime soon."

* * *

"Khan, I'm surprised you're here…in my quarters." I said as I stepped inside.

"It's taking a lot out of me not to kill anyone." Khan confessed. "Seems like my counterpart is a man who allows anyone to bully them. I concluded that it would be safest for me to stay confined here considering the officers on this ship are afraid of you. If I continued to roam the halls, I would've snapped…both my sanity and their necks."

"Feel free to find comfort here." I nodded my head. "Best to keep a low profile until we can get back to our own universe."

"I have a speculation on what kind of man I am in this universe, have you satisfied your curiosity?" Khan asked me as I shook my head. "I've concluded that Doctor McCoy is one who takes great pleasure in inflicting pain rather than being a man of healing. Lieutenant Uhura is a little minx who loves to toy with the men aboard the bridge while using Commander Spock for protection when she has taken things too far. Engineer Scott works his subordinates to death, and my Mate is an insane dictator who holds a high position in the Empire."

"Along with enjoying the sufferings of others…" I added in as Khan nodded his head. "I don't think I want to know what I did to gain such a position, but I can only hypothesize. I hate this universe, Khan."

The door to my quarters opened and a smiling Allyson stood on the other side. "Captain Kirk! Look who I found tinkering with the equipment down in engineering in a section that is for authorized personnel only!" Allyson reached to the side and pushed Bones and Scotty into my quarters. "I also took the liberty of saving your communications officer from the constant harassment coming from your chief security officer."

Allyson was kind enough to allow Nyota to freely walk into my quarters before the door slid behind her.

"You…you really do get around my ship don't you, Admiral DeLuca." I said as I kept my guard up, realizing that she had gathered the whole crew that had travelled with me to this universe. "What can I do for you, Admiral?"

"You know, Captain Kirk, because of my unstable mental state, people tend to underestimate me. But because I am unpredictable along with the reputation I built people are also scared of me, and rightfully so. Sometimes I can't even distinguish between reality and fantasy. Do I have a few screws loose? Sure, but I'm not an idiot. People don't pay attention to me when they think they're not a target, so this gives me the opportunity to be overly observant of the people around me and my surroundings." Allyson smiled as she went over to my desk. "And what I've observed from your little group has piqued my interest, it also confuses me. So, I gathered you all together in hopes that you fine officers could either deny or confirm my sneaking suspicion."

"And what suspicion would that be?" I asked nervously as I watched Allyson take out the dagger from her waist, picking at her nails as she kept on smiling.

"Tell me… _Captain Kirk_." Allyson said as she sat comfortably on my desk, playing with the dagger in her hand before tossing it into the air. The dagger spun once, twice, three times before she caught the blade by the hilt and pointed it at my crew. "What did you do with the **real** James Tiberius Kirk?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! The reason I'm late to uploading is because, as you can see, this is a two parter! I needed both chapters to be completed so all the details stay consistent. This is by far my absolute favorite episode. It's also long because I wanted to expand on how different both Allyson's are. If you don't know, this is based on S2E4 (Mirror, Mirror).
> 
> There are many pictures depicting Mirror!McCoy with a scar on his eyes, but it's never consistent on which eye, but Mirror!Kirk seems to always have a scar on his left cheek. Majority seems to have Mirror!McCoy's scar on his left eye so I went with that and it kind of makes sense.


	27. Through the Looking Glass P.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all you lovely people! I present to you the second part of this two parter! The thrilling conclusion! I also hope this chapter wasn't too confusing! I'm not a science girl lol so I tried to piece things together so it still made sense. Happy reading everyone!

"Is that even possible?" I asked as I called back to Spock after the whole ordeal that occurred down in the brig.

 _ **"** **We are seeing the results with our very own eyes."**_ Spock said. _**"** **A person in each universe, in the act of beaming, the same ion storm caused a disruption that resulted in an exchange with the counterparts from the other universe. To duplicate the same result we would need a force similar to that of the ion storm to make a second exchange."**_

"The ion storm has passed, is there any way to recreate the event artificially?" I asked. "Possibly patching in to the ship's power supply?"

 _ **"** **Perhaps we could tap into the power from the warp engines, balancing it out for five, and it could work. A slim chance, but possible."**_ Spock hypothesized. _**"** **We can only hope that our Captain had come up with the same solution. It needs to be done at the exact same moment to make the exchange possible."**_

"If both universes are moving at the exact same moment, and we have come up with the solution, then we have to trust that Jim, Scotty, and Khan have already come up with the same plan." I nodded my head as I went over to one of the smaller stations situated by the brig, bringing up the data we collected from the recent ion storm. By analyzing the readings I realized that the Enterprise could replicate such an anomaly once more. "I may not know as much as Scotty, but we may be able to accomplish the exchange by laying in the automatic transporter setting. It'll interrupt the engine circuits, just for a second, in order to tie the power increase into the transporter. I'm sending the readings to your datapad now, Captain."

I heard Spock through the other line hum before he brought up an alarming concern. _**"** **It would seem we have a deadline."**_

"What do you mean?" I asked.

 _ **"** **The two-way matter transmission must have affected the local field density between the universes, and it's getting smaller. We would have to move fast, I'd say we have about an hour before we miss the chance to return them to their respected universe."**_ Spock said.

"If we miss that open window, we'll never be able to get our friends back." I sighed. "We'd be stuck with these counterparts for-"

 _ **"** **centuries. Yes."**_ Spock said. _**"** **Going off these plans, I'd need 10 minutes to complete a few more computations. In an hour have security escort the counterparts in our brig to the transporter room."**_

"Yes, Captain." I ended our communication as I went back to the brig. "Have they moved?" I asked as I came back with one of Leonard's medical bags.

"Captain Kirk has taken to pacing his cell, he was given medical attention…sedated of course. Lieutenant Uhura and Engineer Scott have been sitting quietly in their cell, but Doctor McCoy has denied any medical assistance. Engineer Singh has been diligently monitoring Doctor McCoy's condition." Lieutenant Reide reported.

"Open their cell and close it behind me." I patted the bag at my side. "I'll care for him."

"Yes, Commander. Please be careful." Lieutenant Reide said as she tapped a few buttons on her console before the barrier that confined McCoy and Singh to their cell vanished.

"If I need assistance, I'll signal for you." I said as I stepped into the cell, watching as McCoy seemed on edge the moment I ventured into their little territory. He was holding what looked to be a clean cloth to his left eye in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Don't." McCoy warned as he glared at me. "Don't come any closer to me."

"It's okay, I didn't come with any ill intent." I held my hands up to show that I meant no harm and that I was unarmed. "I'm only here to tend to your eye. I need to see what kind of damage your captain did." When McCoy didn't say anything I started to get impatient. "You know just as well as I do that if you leave it unattended, it could become infected."

McCoy looked to be weighing out his options, debating which he would prefer before hesitantly nodding his head to allow me to approach.

I slowly made my way over to McCoy, and when I knew he wasn't going to do anything I went over and kneeled in front of him. I dug into the bag and brought out the solution I was going to put inside the hypospray, but when I was about to administer the hypo McCoy had recoiled and avoided my equipment.

"It's not poison!" I argued before sighing. Placing the hypo against my arm and injecting myself with the solution, it wouldn't have any sort of reaction on me so I knew it would be fine if I used it on my own body. After waiting for a good minute I showed the man that I wasn't going to drop dead. "See, nothing. It's just something to kill off any germs that got into your wound to prevent it from getting infected along with another that would help reduce your pain." I refilled the hypo and held it out for McCoy, if he wasn't going to allow me to administer it, then he may as well do it himself.

McCoy reached out, his hand hovering just above my own before he snatched the hypo out of my hand and injected himself with what he knew would be good for him. I repeated the action with another solution and when he was finished he thrusted the empty hypo back into my hands before resting his back against the wall.

"Will you allow me to clean and wrap your eye?" I asked him, waiting patiently as I saw him drop his hand that was holding the cloth and nodded for me to come over. "Thank you."

I reached into my bag, took out some disinfectants and started to win away the caked blood and whatever else accumulated on the surface of his skin. McCoy winced and loudly protested the second my cloth came into contact with his open wound and I could only huff in frustration as I continued my work. "I need to get your wound cleaned. I'm sure you've had worse, you'll be fine, just hold…still!" I warned as I reached out and held his chin still. "God, you're worse than my Leonard."

When I got rid of all the blood I saw that the cut through his eye was pretty bad. It was ugly, jagged, and harsh. Judging off how the wound looked Kirk's intention was clear, he wanted to do some permanent damage to McCoy's sights along with inflicting immeasurable pain. Almost as if he wanted to take his eye as a trophy, would have succeeded if our crew hadn't acted as fast as we did. Sadly, we didn't act fast enough or take proper precaution, and I felt guilty for not paying closer attention. "I'm not sure if you'll be able to see out of this eye, only time can tell." I took out a clean roll and started to wrap it around his head. "I'll keep monitoring your wound until we find a way to send you all back."

"Will you be patching me up as well, _Commander DeLuca_?" I heard Kirk's sarcastic voice yell out, grating on my every nerve.

"You'll live! What you have on your cheek is a graze and nothing more!" I yelled back. "Worse case scenario is that it'll leave a nasty scar. Your CMO, however, may not be able to see out of his left eye! Least you can do is be more concerned for your friend!"

"We're far from friends." McCoy scoffed. "It's just better to be on the winning side to ensure my survival in this world. Though now, it would seem I've been marked for death."

"Your Captain is unstable." I commented as I looked over my work, making sure that it wouldn't loosen and fall apart. "You're good to go."

"Always having to watch for the next knife in your back will do that to a person. The moment you start to trust someone, you've set yourself up for failure." Singh said. "You're the perfect example of experiencing that utter sense of betrayal. Messed with your mind, led to your insanity, you weren't ever the same after that. You've been very selective after on who serves under you."

"I'm not _Admiral DeLuca,_ simply a Commander just doing my job." I pointed out, reminding them of their situation. "What caused you two to fight anyway?"

"The Captain had assumed we had set this up to overthrow him." Singh said. "Doctor McCoy had tried to talk some sense into the Captain, make him see reason, but he was far from realizing the situation we were in."

"That's a stupid thing to fight about considering we keep telling him, and there's so much signs to indicate that you guys aren't in the right universe." I shook my head in disappointment as I stood back to my feet. "If the pain starts to bother you, please let me know."

* * *

"Clever girl." Khan commented as he smiled, rather proudly, at the woman sitting in my quarters.

"Why thank you, _Khan._ I do try my best." Allyson smiled with pride. "I didn't earn my position with brute force alone, one must be cunning along with calculating when in my shoes. I may seem irrational at times, but I do notice the sudden shifts in a character's personality. It helps me weed out the potential people who could be planning a mutiny against me, or trying to kill me. For example, I know for a fact that the real James Tiberius Kirk is irrational just like me, he acts before thinking, takes what he thinks he deserves, you know…the typical prime ape, etc., etc., hence why he rose up in the ranks so fast. But how you treated me, Kirk, is completely different then the showmanship and the blatant disregard for my presence when I boarded this ship. I also can't forget the familiarity you had toward me when you said my name, honestly it's been so long since I've heard anyone say my name that I'd forgotten for a second that it was mine." Allyson then motioned toward my crew. "And the way you treat these four, there's a sense of camaraderie you all share. I mean sure, Doctor McCoy and Captain Kirk are close, on a professional level of course, one using the other to secure his chances for survival, but you two? Why, I would say it's almost…brotherly. I'd even go so far as to say you all seem like a nice little family."

"What happens now?" I asked as Allyson turned her attention back to me. "Will you turn us in? Kill us?"

" _Kill you?_ " Allyson started to laugh, one that shook her whole body as she made to wipe the imaginary tears from the corner of her eyes. "Why would I? Your group doesn't belong here, and I never boarded the Enterprise with the intent to assassinate the captain. I have my own ship and armada to lead."

"Then what do you gain from gathering us together?" Khan asked. "It can't be just to satisfy your curiosity."

"Smart, and from your eyes…ooo!" Allyson shivered, a sly smile on her face. "You smell exactly like I do! And as much as I love that look on you, I know that Captain Kirk's Khan is a man who avoids conflict. You aren't going to fool anyone, the smell of danger and death rolls off you in waves. Not to mention what I saw back in the hallway and the way you fought with no regard for damage you were going to do?" Allyson shook her head. "No, I'm here to help you get you five back to your universe."

"Why?" Bones asked.

"Because I'm charitable?" Allyson tilted her head. "No, that's not me. I want to help because, believe it or not, I've been searching the whole universe meticulously! Conquering and leaving destruction in my wake for this specific reason." Allyson lifted her sleeves to show some rough burn scars just on her wrists where her Marks would've been, both identical, void of color, and dark. A complete contrast to her skin, but even though it was faint there were still random lines that attempted to show through. "To find my Mates. You see, just before the assassination of my mother, I had forced her to tell me what was written on my wrists before they had burned it off. I can only make out a few letters, so when she gave me their names I hacked into Starfleet, rummaged through multiple files and I came across the files of one Leonard H. McCoy and Khan Noonien Singh who had been assigned to serve under Captain Kirk. I've been searching for my Mates, and when I finally found them Kirk had put up quite a fuss when I wanted to discuss with him business that concerned his two men."

"To kill them?" Nyota hesitantly asked, causing Allyson to let out a theatrical gasp.

"I'm not a monster!" Allyson pursed her lips. "I shouldn't lie, should I? No, you see I want to recruit them. They are my Mates after all, and if their names are trying so hard to show through my dead skin, then I thought it would be worth it to try and find them. They must be quite remarkable, I assumed, if their names are fighting so hard for me to see them. I was elated when I found them, but then greatly disappointed when I realized that you two-" Allyson gestured between Khan and Bones. "were not them. I thought there would be some sort of spark, but I didn't feel anything. At first I thought, eh no spark so I can just get rid of them, no one would be able to use them as leverage against me to overtake my ship. But then, when I sat and thought about it I came to a conclusion, there should've been at least some sort of connection right? And when I didn't even feel that, well, I started to carefully watch your little group who returned from Halkan."

"So…by helping us…" I had to be careful, it seemed like the Allyson in this universe was a tad bit emotionally unstable judging off what I had seen.

"Must I spell it out?" Allyson tisked in annoyance as she lowered her dagger, lightly grazing her leg as she spoke. "By helping you, I get my true Mates returned. Savvy?"

"…savvy?" I heard Scotty utter out before Allyson unfolded her legs and jumped to her feet, quickly striding over to stand in front of me.

"Captain James Tiberius Kirk from…wherever you hail from, do we have a deal?" Allyson said as her eyes stared up at me, her hand held out to me and waiting impatiently for mine. "I help you get back to your world, and I get my Mates back!"

"Deal," I said as I hesitantly reached out to shake her hand. "thank you…"

Before I could even shake her hand, however, she had quickly taken hers back and turned toward my door.

"Ooo! I never thought about that! We're space pirates!" Allyson clapped her hands together as she made her exit, now looking to be talking to herself as she left. "Admiral Allyson DeLuca, Space Pirate of the Terran Empire! Pirate Admiral of the ISS Revenant! The ship of the dead!"

The door to my quarters slid shut, leaving the rest of us all confused at the sudden shift in attitude, unsure if we had been dismissed or forgotten. Or even if we had a deal.

"I want to get home, Jim." Bones said as he turned back to me. "Back to our normality, to our universe, back to our Allyson, our Enterprise, and I want to go back…now."

"I know, I know." I tried to calm my friend down. "We have a half-hour window, you two best get back to whatever you were doing before Admiral DeLuca swept you away."

* * *

Kirk, just as similar as our Jim, was a talker. A fighter, a struggler, and I don't know how, but still able to get on my last nerves. This time in a negative way. He'd constantly threaten every crew member that passed by in the hallway, threaten the Lieutenants that were manning the console in the brig, and continued to goad me on, provoking and taunting me with whatever he thought may cause me to snap. It was working, but not in the way he thought, his constant chatter and yelling was giving me a headache.

"Lieutenant Reide…please tell me there's something you can do about the noise…" I moaned as I sat beside the female officer who seemed just as irritable as I was.

"I can soundproof the room…" Lieutenant Reide mumbled, offering some sort of solution.

"Please do that…whatever you can do, just do it." I ordered, pleaded, letting out a content sigh when Kirk's voice suddenly became muffled. I checked the time on the console, half-hour more and I can escort their group to the transporter room and get my own friends, along with my Mates, back.

"You're completely different then your counterpart." I heard Singh state as I turned up to look at the man who stood beside the invisible barrier.

"I should hope I'm different." I sighed. "In half-hour you'll be back to your own universe, whether you believe it or not you're safe here I promise."

"Safe?" McCoy muttered under his breath as he scoffed at my statement. "Tell that to my eye…"

"I didn't expect your captain to attack you." I got up from my seat and went over to their cell. "Is your eye bothering you?"

"No," McCoy said as he reached up to caress his wound. "but I think the solution is slowly wearing off."

I hopped off my chair and went over to his cell, motioning for Lieutenant Reide to drop the barrier before walking in and up to McCoy. I filled up the hypo with the needed liquid that would help reduce his pain before handing him the hypo. "I assume you'd want to administer it yourself."

"Thank you." McCoy muttered as he took the hypo from my hand, this time being a bit more gentle than the last time he had taken it from me. After he had used the hypo and handed it back to me he started to chuckle.

"Something funny?" I asked as I placed the equipment back into my bag, watching as he shook his head and still continued to silently laugh. I placed my hands on my hips as I looked a bit concerned at the man who was giggling to himself. "What?"

" _ **Bones.**_ " McCoy shook his head. "It's been so long since I heard that nickname. Who would've guessed that you would have my name."

"Does Admiral DeLuca not show her wrist?" I asked curiously, if I was forced to hide mine I'm sure the opposite would be showing it off with pride.

"DeLuca's were known to burn their Marks." Singh said. "Prevents anyone from using SoulMates as leverage."

"How harsh…" I commented, feeling more sympathetic toward my counterpart. She truly did have it worse then I did.

"You have two." McCoy said as he nodded toward my left wrist. "The man of peace...seriously?"

"Yes." I smiled as I thought of my Leonard and Khan. "Which is why we need to make sure you and your group get back to your universe so that I can get my Mates back."

"Are you close to our counterparts?" McCoy asked, he seemed honestly curious about my answer.

"I'd like to think we're close." I giggled as I thought fondly of the times we've had so far. "I met Leonard first. He constantly nags at me to take better care of myself, and when I don't he makes sure I do. Monitoring my health when I tell him I'm fine. An absolute sweetheart. I then met Khan about a year after, very protective…sometimes too protective, you can't read what he's thinking, but he means well. They both do."

"You really care a lot about them, don't you?" Singh asked as I simply nodded my head without hesitation.

"They're…what kept me going when I was a child, and they continue to keep me going. To be strong." I said which caused McCoy to scoff.

"I'm sure Admiral DeLuca doesn't share the same opinion. She would attempt to get rid of us, which is probably why she hunted our ship down and boarded us." McCoy said.

"She isn't serving on the Enterprise?" I asked as I leaned against the invisible barrier behind me as McCoy shook his head.

"No, she's a captain of her own ship. She requested to board the Enterprise three days ago, spoke to Captain Kirk, and after he began to ignore her. Every day of every hour she continues to request that the captain sees her again." McCoy said. "I tried asking the captain why she was still around, but he would never say. Almost bit my head off the last time, so I just avoided the subject."

"If you were in her shoes, Commander DeLuca," Singh cut in. "why would you suddenly board our ship?"

I thought over what McCoy and Singh had told me, and honestly I could come up with only one solution as why my counterpart would search for their ship. "I think she was there for you two, her SoulMates."

McCoy started to laugh, even his laugh sounded different then my own Leonard, it sounded so...empty. "Highly doubt she would even know that we're her SoulMates or even go through all the trouble just to come for us."

"I'm being serious, we may be different people personality wise, but I'd like to think SoulMates are still important to us. Though her reason for discovering her names or how she came to the conclusion of your importance may differ from mine." I said. "In my situation I came across Leonard and Khan by chance. Our paths just…crossed and I was lucky to find them. If that didn't happen to Admiral DeLuca, then she would've taken things into her own hands and gone searching for her Marks. If they're burned off then she would've looked for mother or father to inquire about what names she had."

McCoy huffed before he turned away from me, ending our conversation as he started to rest his eyes, but Singh wasn't finished talking to me. Which surprised me, Khan wasn't much of a talker, but his counterpart seemed eager to finally be able to talk to someone without being yelled at.

"Will you tell me more about your Mates?" Singh asked. "What are they like? How did you meet? The adventures you've been on?"

As much as I knew I shouldn't, I couldn't help but start talking. I was proud of my Mates, proud of who they were and that they were mine, and mine alone. I…I loved and cared about them a lot. Without me realizing, I started to tell them how I met my Leonard and my Khan. Singh would tell me about his family, his life on the Enterprise, Admiral DeLuca, anything to just to pass the time until Spock would call for me to report to the transporter room.

I only stopped my stories of adventure when Lieutenant Reide called for my attention.

"Commander DeLuca." Lieutenant Reide opened the cell. "The Captain is asking for the landing party to be escorted to the transporter room."

"Call for security, I'm going to need help sedating Captain Kirk for transport." I ordered as I exited the cell McCoy and Singh was in, feeling safe enough to leave it open before walking over to the cell that held Scott and Uhura. "We're about to get you back to your universe, if you promise to behave I won't use force." I nodded for Lieutenant Reide to open their cell. "Please, wait right by the console for our security officers to arrive. Once they do, and I can get your captain sedated, we'll make our way to the transporter room."

We were able to transfer the counterparts to the transporter room without any trouble. They were nice enough to cooperate which made my job, along with the other officers that were assigned to assist me, easier. Though Kirk, even when sedated, was just as impossible to deal with. One must admire the fighter in him, even if he wasn't fully comprehending or accepting the situation he was currently in.

"Have the five of them stand in the transporter, make sure they don't move from those spots." I ordered as I saw Spock and Lieutenant Kyle tinkering with the transporter console. "Spock? How much longer?"

"Five minutes." Spock responded without taking his eyes off his work.

"Commander DeLuca, may I have a word with you?" Singh asked as he made to step off the platform.

When one of the security officers moved to stop him, I reached out to calm them down. "Is everything okay?"

Singh looked a bit hesitant before he looked to have gained the courage he needed as he looked down at me, holding eye contact before he spoke what was on his mind.

"I want to stay here."

* * *

While Nyota caused a distraction on the bridge to keep Sulu's attention off the board I made my way down to the transporter room. We needed everything to go according to plan in order to get back to our own universe.

I started tinkering with the transporter console, making sure to keep the time in mind in order to meet the others in the medbay before I heard the doors open.

"You'll please restrict your movements, Captain." I heard Spock command as I felt my weapons being taken off from my belt. I turned to look to my right and saw that Spock had his phaser trained right on me. "What are you doing?"

"Are you gonna shoot me now, Spock?" I asked. "I thought I had until dawn."

"I shall make that decision. Since your return from the planet, you've behaved in a most atypical and illogical manner." Spock listed off his findings. "I want to know why."

"Shoot. You're wasting time." I called his bluff.

"I shall not waste time with you. You're too inflexible, too disciplined once you've made up your mind." Spock said. "But Doctor McCoy has plentitude of human weakness-sentimental, soft. You may not tell me what I want to know, but he will."

"You're running a big risk Spock." I yelled out, hopefully to discourage the Vulcan commander and allow me to do what I was set forth to do. Time was truly against us.

"I have the phaser, Captain, and I do not intend to simply disappear as so many of your opponents have in the past." I stepped away from the console and turned to face Spock. "If you please…sickbay."

I had no choice, weighing out my options, I had no chance against a Vulcan as I've learned in the past. Fighting him would only lessen our chances and be a waste of time, so I did as he had asked and led the way.

Our walk was silent and I was wondering, cursing, at where Allyson was. She had said she was going to help us, so where the hell was she! What was she doing!

When I entered the medbay the whole landing party was already there waiting for me. I was the last to arrive.

"Yes, of course. The entire landing party. Captain, stand over there." Spock hummed. "Doctor, it is time for answers."

Just as I was about to disarm Spock the door to the medbay opened once more to reveal a very bored looking Allyson.

"Admiral," Spock greeted though his eyes never left our group. "do forgive my rude statement, but this is no one's business but our own."

"Oh?" Allyson stepped up behind me. "Is this about killing Captain Kirk because he had shown mercy to the Halkans? Denied direct orders from the Empire?"

"Possibly something more." Spock responded. "Since their return from the Halkan the landing team has been acting strange, and I want to know why."

"Captain Kirk, do go and stand by your crew." Allyson warned as she began to circle the Vulcan. "Commander Vulcan, I'd like to hear your reasoning for suspecting the actions of your own crew."

"I'm sure you've noticed as well, Admiral, that they've been acting against the ways of the Empire. Acting strange after their return from Halkan." Spock said as Allyson maneuvered her way around the Vulcan and over to the display case.

"I've noticed, but then again, I act the same way my dear green-blooded, pointy eared friend. One day I'm Admiral DeLuca, the next? Well…I could be someone else. I could show mercy one day, and the next I could kill someone for a simple miscommunication with no proof. I mean, we're all mad here, right?" Allyson tisked as she went over to admire one of the many skulls that this universe's Bones had displayed on his shelf. "That doesn't warrant gathering these officers together. I'd say we'd need more proof to show that they are indeed…imposters." Allyson shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly before going back toward the door. I took notice that when Spock was talking to Allyson, his grip on his phaser loosened. "Apologies Commander Vulcan, but we have an appointment to keep."

Allyson had jumped and wrapped one arm around Spock's throat in a choke hold. Her other hand was holding the arm that held the phaser straight out so that he wouldn't get the opportunity to turn it on her or my crew. Spock had stumbled backwards and rammed his body along with Allyson's against the wall behind them in hopes to knock her off of him. Allyson let out a low groan from the pain as she kept a tight hold on the Vulcan.

"As much as I love a good fight!" Allyson glared at me, attempting to keep Spock's attention on her as she continued to ride out his thrashing. "Either disarm this point eared bastard…or! Help me take him down!"

I jumped into action, running toward the two who were tussling around as Allyson had wrapped her legs around Spock's waist to keep him from flinging her off, and I knocked the phaser out of Spock's hands. Kicking it away and out of Spock's reach.

Spock seemed to go on a rampage, getting increasingly angrier as he gave up attempting to loosen the arm that was around his neck for just a second to punch me in the chest to put some distance between us before ramming Allyson's body against one of the medbeds. The action knocked the wind out of Allyson causing her grip to falter momentarily, but that gave Spock the opportunity to throw her off as he concentrated on the rest of us.

Each one of us sprang into action to restrain and constrict the Vulcan, having immense difficulty doing so, and the only person who seemed to be able to handle Spock one on one was Khan who was in the process of keeping Spock's arms pinned behind him.

It was only when Allyson came up from behind Spock with a skull in her hands, smashing it against the Vulcan's head did he finally go down.

"Good god, it's been a while since I fought against a Vulcan." Allyson whistled before looking at Khan. "Great job holding him down."

"How much time, Scotty?" I went over to help my crew to their feet.

"Hardly 15 minutes, Captain." Scotty said as Bones went over to check on Spock. "The field density between the two universes is starting to close very fast."

"Help me get him on the table." Bones said and when we didn't reply fast enough he started to get irritable. "Well, come on! Help me get him on the table. He'll die without immediate treatment."

"Guess I hit him harder then I intended." I heard Allyson silently comment, though she didn't seem that bothered by what she had done.

That got us moving as Scotty and myself reached over to lift Spock's body up and move him over to one of the functioning medbeds as Bones turned it on.

"Everything laid in, Scotty-the time lag so the operator can get into the transporter chamber?" I asked as we watched Bones work on examining Spock.

"All laid in, sir." Scotty said before looking impatiently back at Bones. "Come on, Doctor McCoy. We're taking a chance of not getting back home."

"We'll get home." Bones insisted as he did more scans on Spock's body. "This won't take long."

"14 minutes! We've got to go!" Scotty was getting impatient.

"Will you shut up? I can save his life." Bones growled as he turned back to the two of us. "Do you want me to stop, Jim? It'll only take a minute."

"He is very much like our own Spock, isn't he?" I sighed. "You've got that minute."

"A little time, he'll live." Bones nodded his head.

We heard the door open and in walked Sulu who was followed closely by four security officers.

"Your little group just attracts trouble, huh." Allyson stepped in front of us as she stared Sulu down. "What are your orders, Lieutenant?"

"Mister Spock has orders to kill Captain Kirk. He will succeed…apparently." Sulu reported as he stared down Allyson. "Captain Kirk will also have appeared to have killed him after a fierce battle. Regrettable, but it will leave me in command."

"You know, I don't recall such events happening." Allyson tilted her head to the side. "After all, I am Starfleet Command, if I say that didn't happen then your claim goes down the toilet. I will take back command and control if I have to since I don't like your little scheme you're planning." Allyson chuckled. "If you have disposed of my men I had stationed outside those doors, you've given me a incentive to take you down."

"An Admiral you may be, but you're not entirely sane. Who will Starfleet believe? After all, it would seem you've sided with Captain Kirk." Sulu held his dagger out, pointing it at Allyson. "An Admiral defying her superiors? Starfleet would want that problem fixed."

"Careful who you point that at, Lieutenant," Allyson warned as she looked to be squaring her shoulders. "you're making my blood dance in excitement! I don't know if I'd be able to stop if you decide to continue!"

"Imagine the promotion I'll get, if I take out _The_ Admiral DeLuca." Sulu whispered with a smile.

"As if my ship would pass on to you." Allyson scoffed as she made a move to attack before the men around Sulu started to disappear in flashes of light. When Sulu was the only one left standing, Allyson seemed to let out a sigh of disappointment. "Well, now it's no fun."

Allyson strode up to Sulu, watching carefully for the first strike, and when Sulu thrusted his dagger forward Allyson quickly evaded the blade. Allyson grabbed Sulu's wrist, bending it backwards causing him to drop the blade before grabbing his head with her free hand and slammed his head against the edge of the medbed.

"Not dead, just unconscious." Allyson nodded to me, looking disappointed as she let out a sigh. "Yeah, that wasn't fun at all. I'd rather fight the Vulcan. Kirk, you and your team best get going, you have less than 10 minutes before you miss that window."

"Let's go, Bones." I turned back to my friend.

"I can't let him die, Jim." Bones was sweating as he kept on working on Spock. "Look, you get down to the transporter room. Make sure it's clear. I'll be there in five minutes."

"No longer." I ordered. "You best keep in mind that Allyson is waiting for you to return."

"I guarantee it." Bones nodded his head.

"I've called for more of my men to escort your group to the transporter room." Allyson said as she hopped onto the medbed that was by the door. "I'll stay here, make sure no one comes in to disturb the good doctor."

"I'm staying here." Khan said and I sighed in frustration.

"No, you can't! Listen, if you both don't make it, Allyson-" I started to point out before Khan cut me off.

"You misunderstand, Kirk. I'm staying to make sure McCoy makes it to the transporter room. I'll drag him kicking and screaming if I have to." Khan said as he continued to stare at Bones. "I will not face Allyson's heartbroken expression because he couldn't stop being a doctor for a Spock that's not even our own."

"Five minutes." I warned. "That's all I'm giving you two."

* * *

When Jim, Nyota, and Scotty reached the transporter, Allyson's men had opted to wait outside the door while they entered the room and inside stood Carol Marcus, this universe's Carol Marcus.

"A friend. Activate the transporter." Jim stopped Scotty from attacking. "You saved us back in sickbay with the Tantalus Field." Jim said, wondering at first why she had done so.

"Take me with you." Marcus asked, insisting.

"I can't." Jim shook his head, knowing that even if he wanted to, he couldn't. "I'm sorry. Our power is balanced for five. There's no guarantee that we'll make it with six. All could die." I turned to where Scotty was. "Scotty?"

"It's working, sir." Scotty smiled in relief.

"But there are only three of you." Marcus argued.

"Two is coming." Jim denied her request once more before going over to the console to assist Scotty. "I'd help you if I could, Marcus. But…there's already another on our ship waiting for us. Someone, who means a lot to me."

Marcus, while Jim was preoccupied helping Scotty, had brought out a phaser from behind her back. She was now a woman so desperate enough to want to leave this life behind, desperate enough to hold a phaser at a man who she cared deeply about and threatened to take her with them.

Jim was now cautious, sending a silent signal to Nyota, as he turned his attention back on Marcus. "If you kill us, you'll still stay."

Nyota slowly inched her way over to where Marcus was standing with her phaser, a struggle ensured before Nyota was able to wrestle the phaser out of the woman's grip. Nyota reached over and took the dagger that was being held in her boots, still with the phaser aimed at Marcus.

"Where's Bones and Khan?" Jim asked as he exited the transporter room, looking around impatiently for the two men before reentering. "Time, Scotty?"

"Five minutes, sir." Scotty answered.

"Do you know what they'll do to me?" Marcus asked.

"The power's cut, sir. They're onto us!" Scotty informed me in a panic.

"Auxiliary." Jim asked.

"Aye, it's available." Scotty nodded.

"Can you bridge to your setup?" Jim asked.

"Oh, I can get us the power, but the automatic setting is linked to the transporter main. If we bypass, that means that someone has got to operate the controls manually." Scotty said, Jim knowing full well what must be done before Scotty could confirm it.

"One of us will have to stay." Jim finished.

"I'll stay, Captain." Scotty volunteered before Jim shook his head.

"Get to the transporter chamber." Jim said. "You, too, Nyota. Spock would have my head if you don't make it back."

"Jim!" Scotty began to protest. "We can't just-"

"That's an order, Scotty." Jim said, giving Scotty a smile in reassurance, he was responsible for the safety of his crew, his friends, not the other way around. Scotty hesitated before nodding his head as he did as Jim commanded.

"What are you still doing at the console, Captain?" Allyson's voice cut in as the doors to the transporter room opened. "You should be on the transporter with your officers."

Allyson walked in to stand beside the door, Khan right behind her as Spock followed soon after, dragging Bones along.

"I cut the transporter power. It was necessary to delay your beam out until we could arrive." Spock said before handing Bones over to Scotty. "Take him." Spock walked on over to the transporter console, standing right beside Jim. "Engineering, reactivate main transporter circuits."

While the 'Captain' and the Commander talked, Allyson watched as the four officers got situated on the transporter pad, her eyes were trained completely on Khan as she walked up to the augment.

"You can stay here you know." Allyson finally spoke up to address Khan.

"Excuse me?" Khan asked.

"A universe where everyone is just as brutal, just as savage as you are? You'd fit right in." Allyson smiled. "People will just assume that Khan had changed, adapted to our way of life."

Khan attempted to ignore the woman who strode over and reached out for his hand.

"I can see it in your eyes. You love this life, you miss it…crave it." Allyson stepped closer, excitement dancing in her eyes. "In your universe, you're caged. Trapped. Held on by a tight leash. Here? You can be just who you want to be. Free of trying to be someone you're not. Free of trying to hide your primal instinct to kill those you deem lesser than yourself, free to cause as much destruction as you want with no consequences." Allyson placed her hand on Khan's chest.

"I'm sure my counterpart realizes it too, and I'm sure she's asking just as I am. Whoever this universe Khan is? He'd be better suited there where Starfleet strives for peace and unity, while you're meant to be here…by my side." Allyson looked up at Khan. "What do you say, Khan?"

"Now hold on just a minute!" Leonard stepped off his platform, walking to stand beside Khan. "There is an Allyson who is waiting for us to return to her! I will not allow you to break her-" Leonard was about to adamantly deny such a request before he was stopped by Khan who held up his hand to silence the man.

"I will admit that adrenaline…the thought of killing without consequence, dominating those I deem lesser than myself, that will always be a part of me. But if I truly did miss that life, those men would've been dead. No Admiral DeLuca, I do not truly belong here, I belong…standing beside _**my**_ Allyson, and though I'm being restrained…I find that my universe isn't too bad. So long as she's there waiting for me. Allyson urges me, pushes me to be a better man. She's saved my crew, given me a second chance. I owe a lot to that woman. I care about her, and only her." Khan said as he reached up to take the Admiral's hand off him. "I'm afraid, Admiral DeLuca, that we're too much alike that we would destroy each other."

"I suppose that's true, the whole 'the universe isn't big enough for the two of us' type of deal." Allyson shrugged.

"Besides, if I don't go back, who would look after my Allyson." Khan asked. "Surely not my counterpart if he is indeed a man against violence, and I don't trust McCoy."

"You know, I'm gonna act as if I didn't hear that." Leonard grumbled. "Besides, Ally doesn't need us to protect her, she needs us to make sure she doesn't go risking her life for others all the damn time."

"My counterpart must be pretty weak if she needs your protection." Allyson commented, ignoring what Leonard had said.

"On the contrary, she's strong enough both physically and mentally, to keep all the men on the Enterprise in their place." Khan smiled, recalling the times Allyson would be barking orders just to keep the Enterprise and its crew on track. "In fact, stronger than you, Admiral DeLuca."

"Ouch. Was that an attempt at an insult? An attempt for me to hate you?" Allyson exaggerated as she placed her hand over her own heart. "Eh, doesn't hurt as much. Tomayto, Tomahto. I'll take it as a compliment, after all! We are two sides of the same coin."

"Can't say I didn't try." Allyson turned her back on the two men. "I suppose it's for the best. No chemistry there."

"I'm sure when your Khan returns, you'll feel that chemistry you're looking for." Khan nodded his head as he watched Allyson return to the console.

"Would Allyson prefer my counterpart over myself?" Khan quietly whispered to himself before he heard Leonard scoff.

"If you're questioning our Ally, then you need to apologize to her the moment we return." Leonard scolded. "You should have more faith in her. Even if your counterpart is a thousand percent a better person than you, she wouldn't ask him to stay because he's not you."

"Technically, McCoy, he is." Khan responded which only ticked Leonard off more.

"You know damn well what I mean!"

* * *

"Come again?" I asked a bit taken back as I watched from behind Singh two security officers assisting and dragging Kirk over to one of the transport pads on the platform.

"Let me stay here, Commander DeLuca." Singh insisted. "I don't belong in their world. I…I can't stand the constant violence. The senseless killing."

"Mister Singh-" _**"** **Khan."**_ "What?" I was unsure how to process this.

"My name is Khan, you keep calling me _Mister Singh_." Singh pointed out as he reached out to grab my hands. "I want to stay here Allyson…"

"Five people went back," I pointed out as I looked back at Singh. "in order for our five to return, you five need to go back."

"If I'm asking, then I'm sure your Khan realizes this as well. He's probably asking the same thing." Singh started to plead. "I'm more suited for this universe, while he'll fit right in on that Enterprise." Singh's grip tightened over mine. "If I go back, Admiral DeLuca will have me executed, and if not her then Captain Kirk will. You're…a kind soul. Please, allow me to stay, Allyson. We could experience all those adventures you spoke so fondly about. We're SoulMates…aren't we?"

I saw the concern and absolute fear in his eyes as he spoke, and as much as I wanted to save him…I couldn't.

"Mister Singh…" I loosened his grip on my hands and switched our positions, holding his in mine as I smiled sadly back at my Mates counterpart. "as much as I want to help, I can't."

His expression fell, the hope in his eyes disappeared before I reached out and gently forced him to look back at me.

"We're not SoulMates, Mister Singh. SoulMates, they are supposed to complete each other. They balance each other out. In a sense, they have what the other lacks or needs more of. If my counterpart is just as bad as you explained her to be, then I think you and Doctor McCoy are the ones who can bring back her humanity." I smiled. "If she's just like me, she didn't search the Enterprise to kill you two. She's looking for the two people to save her, to have people to trust completely once more and whether you believe it or not you can save her from herself."

"Two minutes and ten seconds, Commander DeLuca." Spock informed me as I nodded my head in thanks.

"Hold on." I reached into the pocket of my pants, bringing out a tiny notepad that I took from the transporter room. I scribbled on it, tore off the paper. Folding it neatly before handing it over to Mister Singh. "Here, give this to my counterpart. Even if our paths differ, our experience and feelings toward our family would still be fairly similar, so this? This will mean something to her." I placed it into Singh's hands and closed his fingers around it. "Trust me Mister Singh…and trust Admiral DeLuca. She'll save you from whatever hell you're experiencing on that Enterprise."

"I'm…I'm sorry. It was unfair of me to request such a thing from you." Singh shook his head. "If only…she were like you."

"But she **is** me." I smiled in encouragement. "Deep down, she's there. And I think, behind closed doors, away from her subordinates and in front of you two, she'll shine through." I led Singh over to the transporter platform and had him stand next to McCoy, taking both their hands into my own. "If I were in her position, if your lives were threatened I'd take on thousands of starships, destroy the Empire, to keep you two alive until you're grey and old. It's…it's what I would do for mine."

"One minute and twenty-three seconds." Spock counted.

"I hope Admiral DeLuca won't make comments about our age like you do." McCoy, for the first time, smiled a genuine smile.

"I'm only doing it now to prove my point. There's nothing for you to fear." I shook their hands. "I suspect when she sees your eye, it's Kirk who will have much to fear."

"And why's that?" McCoy asked.

"As I've said, I'd destroy anything that threatened the lives of my Mates. A scar like that? I'd want to find the one responsible and make them pay." I laughed as I let go of their hands. "Some advice? Do try to get along and not argue. We hate the unnecessary stress."

"Allyson, it is time." Spock said as I stepped away.

"Godspeed gentlemen." I gave a wave and watched as the transporter kicked on. The bodies of Captain Kirk, Engineer Scott, Lieutenant Uhura, Doctor McCoy, and Mister Singh vanished for just a second before they appeared once again. At first in swirls of gold before solidifying.

The five hesitated, glancing around before smiling at each other and giving out a sigh of relief.

"...Jim?" I called hesitantly.

"Thank god you're back to normal, Ally!" Jim exclaimed as he reached out and gave me the biggest hug he could offer which I happily returned before I let go and went over to Nyota and Scotty to do the same.

"I'm so happy to be back!" Nyota said as she jumped up and down, the two of us swaying uncontrollably before I let her go and pushed her over to Spock.

"You can tell me all about your adventure that you went on without me when you've had some time with your Mate." I whispered, watching as Jim went over to Spock.

"Welcome home, Captain." I heard Spock greet.

I went over to Khan and Leonard, I was about to reach out and hug each of them before the latter placed both his hands on my cheeks and squeezed.

"Not a scratch on you." Leonard breathed out in relief as he gently moved my head from side to side, placing a kiss over my right eye. "Don't you ever change, Ally."

"I wasn't planning to." I smiled as I kissed his hands before noticing that Khan was waiting patiently for Leonard to let go. This was a first, he looked a bit unsure of himself as he put a little distance between the two of us. "Everything okay, Khan?"

When Khan didn't respond, I started to grow concerned. What had happened in that parallel universe to cause my strong Mate to look so conflicted, and for the first time so...unsure of himself?

"Your counterpart had asked him to stay," Leonard leaned down to whisper into my ear. "pointed out that he didn't belong in our universe, but his counterpart did. That he'd be better suited in that parallel world and by her side. She said that if she was asking, then she's sure that you would've asked his counterpart as well." Leonard and myself were watching Khan carefully. "I told him that it was a thousand percent impossible. So, I think that we're seeing for the first time his insecurities surface, the vulnerable side of him he rarely never shows."

"He's far superior then all of us. I didn't think he'd let something like that get to him." I looked sadly at Khan, I would never trade him for anyone.

"He was unsure if you'd prefer the parallel Khan, over himself." Leonard reached out for my hand. "I think, that really hit him hard. He's still thinking about it and letting it get to him. Wondering if he's **_good_** enough to be by your side."

Leonard then nudged my shoulder, gesturing for me to give Khan a warm welcome and I could only smile as I walked over to Khan. I placed both my hands on his shoulder for leverage as I stood up and placed an innocent kiss to his lips, a slight flush to my cheeks as my heart picked up at my bold action. I wasn't the bold type, but something was telling me it was something that Khan needed at this moment. "I'm happy you're safe and back where you belong. Welcome home, Khan."

Khan took a second, a bit taken back, before he reached up for my left hand and placed a kiss to his name. "I'm home."

* * *

"Welcome back, Captain." Commander Spock greeted their slightly dazed Captain as he was the first to stumble off the transporter platform. "I do hope our counterparts treated you well."

"Spock," Kirk groggily greeted. "what in god's name is going on!"

"You were in a parallel universe Captain, quite different from our own I suspect." Commander Spock informed, though already knowing full well how different both universes were.

Kirk was still trying to gain his bearings as he stumbled forward, glaring at his first officer before taking back his position, recovering and started barking out orders. "Spock, I want these four taken away and destroyed. I don't care how, I just want them gone."

"And what have they done to warrant such a verdict?" Commander Spock asked as the four that had been part of the landing party looked to be on alert at their captain's sudden orders.

"Traitors, the lot of them, conspiring with Admiral DeLuca to take over my ship, to overthrow me!" Kirk yelled before pointing at Commander Spock. "And you! You're part of this! Officers! I want them in the agony booth, full duration, and then I want them all executed!"

"Dear Captain Kirk, has your mind finally snapped?" Admiral DeLuca came strutting out from behind Commander Spock, giving the Captain a cheeky finger wave. "I'm the only one to be known to have a few screws loose in the Empire, I don't intend to share that title."

"Admiral DeLuca." Kirk advanced onto the woman. "You've set this up, you want my ship, my crew! I am not one to submit so easily as your past conquests did."

"Dear…dear Captain Kirk. My opinion on you has significantly dropped, I much prefer your counterpart then the man standing before me. He was much smarter than how you're acting right now, you haven't even caught on that the woman you met is not the same woman standing in front of you." Admiral DeLuca shook her head in disappointment. "I'm afraid, as Admiral, I'm going to have to relieve you of your command, at least until you've come to your senses." Admiral DeLuca let out an animated sigh. "You just love causing me so much trouble, don't you Captain Kirk."

"Trouble." Kirk scoffed. "You're happy to relieve me of my command."

"Ooo!" Admiral DeLuca ignored Kirk, pushing her way past him and made her way over to where McCoy and Singh was standing. "I've met your counterparts! I'm happy to finally meet you two at last!" Admiral DeLuca held her hands out to the two men, her right going to McCoy and her left to Singh.

"I am talking to you Admiral DeLuca!" Kirk yelled before she motioned for her men to stand behind her, preventing Kirk from attempting anything while her back was turned.

"And I'm not listening!~" Admiral DeLuca sung back before turning her attention back to the two men, motioning down to her hands. "Well? Don't keep me waiting. I tend to not wait for people to shake my hand so consider yourself lucky! I'm waiting."

It was true, Admiral DeLuca never shook people's hands, the only time she ever did was when she wanted to give the person she was talking to a false sense of security. And when her target's guard was down, that was the optimal time to strike. It was her MO, she loved to dismantle the higher command by starting with earning their trust, breaking their mind, keeping them wondering who they can trust, her target relying solely on her, and she'd watch as they turned on each other before making the final strike when their foundation was at their weakest. She'd mix it up sure, but she mainly loved to play mind games with her prey.

But not this time, this time she truly wanted to shake their hands. She wanted to confirm the rumors of what people felt when SoulMates made first contact. McCoy and Singh glanced at each other before reaching out to shake her hand, and on contact Admiral DeLuca smiled. A smile that caught the two men off guard.

It was a smile that differed from the usual one that would accompany her dead stare, this smile reached her eyes and caused a certain spark to ignite down to their very core. "And…there it is."

Singh looked a bit unsure, he was afraid of Admiral DeLuca and what she was capable of, but the moment his hand came into contact with hers he felt his heart rate pick up. That smile…he saw lingering traces that reminded him of Allyson's smile when she spoke highly of her Mates. Then he started to doubt his fear, that maybe, his fear was unwarranted. He felt a sense of longing coming from the woman as she smiled, as if a connection had repaired itself and snapped back into place. Singh was so entranced by this new side he was seeing that he had momentarily forgotten about the note that Allyson had given him to pass on to her counterpart.

"Admiral DeLuca," Singh said as her eyes turned to the man of peace. "I was told to give this to you."

"Oh?" Admiral DeLuca watched with childish curiosity as Singh took his other hand and placed the little note into the Admiral's hand. His own larger ones lingering over hers longer than it should that he was able to feel the little scars that littered each of her fingers. "What's this?"

"I don't know." Singh admitted as he took his hands back, watching as the Admiral unfolded the piece of paper. "Ally… _Commander DeLuca_ told me to give it to you. Said only you would understand."

"Commander, huh?" Admiral DeLuca read the paper, whatever was on it wasn't that long for she only took a glance at the writing before smiling once more.

" _ **She**_ knows us so well…" Admiral DeLuca whispered before refolding the paper and tucking it into the pocket of her coat. That paper seemed to mean a lot to her with how much care she took to fold it back up, and Singh made a mental note to ask her what Allyson had written to her.

Admiral DeLuca's smile suddenly vanished as she stepped closer to McCoy. She got up close to his face, their noses barely touching, and McCoy could feel her breath on his lips as she started to speak. Her voice sent a shiver up his spine as it lowered, showing no sign of the giddiness she once held. Monotone all the way. "What happened to your eye, Doctor McCoy?"

Briefly, so quickly that no one would've seen it, but for the ever observant Admiral she had seen McCoy's eye take a glance behind her and Admiral DeLuca's pupils constricted. The woman turned her head to look behind her and her eyes zeroed in on the treated cut on the Captain's left cheek.

"Captain Kirk…" Admiral DeLuca called, just barely above a whisper. "are you the one responsible for the injury on Doctor McCoy's eye?"

Kirk didn't need to answer to confirm Admiral DeLuca's accusation. Though, instead of lashing out, Admiral DeLuca's signature chilling smile had returned.

"Kirk, you'll find that I'm better off your ally then your enemy." Admiral DeLuca threatened, her voice so even that it seemed so foreign coming from the mouth of the Admiral. "I'll forgive you for such a crime, but I'm afraid to say that I'll be taking charge from this point on. So, here's my conditions, and if you speak…I will have my guards gag you so you listen without any interference. I do not like being interrupted you see."

Kirk did not dare go against Admiral DeLuca at this point, though he had no inkling of the crime he'd committed against the Admiral, he knew better than to fight against a woman who could easily take his life the moment he blinked. Gone was the woman who would go in and out of insanity, in front of him was the woman who was thinking clearly. The very woman who had forced the Empire at one point to their knees.

"I'm going to be taking Doctor McCoy and Mister Singh to the Revenant, permanently. Considering you wanted them executed, you have no use for them now." Admiral DeLuca then turned to the men behind her. "If you two agree of course."

The two men simply nodded, keeping in mind her threat toward their captain, though at the current moment fear had overtaken reasoning that they didn't realize the interruption threat was only toward Kirk.

"You two, the exotic lady and the Scottish man," Admiral DeLuca gestured toward Uhura and Scott. "are free to choose whether your lives are safer aboard my ship then this ship." Admiral DeLuca went over to Kirk and Commander Spock. "We have much to discuss, and whatever we talk about behind closed doors…if I get word that a little rat squealed to the Empire I'll know. You see, while you were gone, and the ship preoccupied with other things, I had my men install little bugs into your ship. Bugs that you'll never be able to find, and even if you do you'll never be able to hack into it to disable it. I'll hear everything that goes in and out of this ship."

"And what do you have planned, Admiral DeLuca?" Commander Spock asked though he already knew what it was about.

"Boys! What I have planned is something big. I'm talking about changing our way of life kind of big!" Admiral DeLuca sniggered. "A rebellion!"

"And why would you want to pull something like that off?" Kirk asked. "It's suicidal!"

"Because I've grown bored going with the tide, following where the _wind_ carries me." Admiral DeLuca clapped excitedly. "But I do love causing trouble, and this will quite possibly cause the most biggest commotion I've ever caused in my life!"

"Ridiculous...you'd condemn us all..." Kirk mumbled before Admiral DeLuca sent a glare in Kirk's direction.

"A man cannot summon the future, but one man can change the present, and in our case three! I'm taking inspiration from your counterpart, Kirk. Something I'm sure you already know, Commander Spock. Our way of life...is wrong. Our views, what we stand for? All wrong! So, change is needed! And, Kirk, if you don't agree then I will give command of your ship to our wonderful Vulcan friend. You can attempt to get rid of me with your little weapon you're hiding in your quarters Kirk, sure, but I promise…my crew will very much avenge my death. They will destroy your ship and keep only those loyal to our cause living on the Revenant." Admiral DeLuca flung her arms around the two men, bringing the two to her height. "I think, if we cooperate with each other, stay loyal without giving in to our deceptive ways, we can accomplish so many things together! Why…I'd go so far as to say, we could topple _Empires_!" Though it was an Earth saying, the implication was there. "But, I'm not in the mood to talk today, I have something more important to take care of. Tomorrow, we'll convene on my ship in my conference room at 0900 to talk in detail our next step going forward. What do you say Captain Kirk? Commander Spock?"

"No objections, Admiral." Commander Spock nodded his head.

"…no objections…" Kirk agreed.

"No objections! I look forward to this partnership! Stick with me boys, and we'll be the leaders of the new world!" Admiral DeLuca shook both their hands, clapped her hands together before she went over to the transport platform. "Come, Doctor McCoy. Mister Singh. We have much to talk about in my quarters."

Admiral DeLuca waited on the platform for her two security officers, McCoy and Singh to join her before Commander Spock activated the transporter. In a blink of an eye Admiral DeLuca's party vanished and appeared back on her ship. The men that were waiting for her saluted in greeting, Admiral DeLuca nodded her head in appreciation before motioning for the two men to follow her to her quarters.

"Admiral DeLuca?" Singh finally spoke up after the three of them arrived at where he assumed was the Admiral's quarters.

"Yes, Khan?" Admiral DeLuca shut the doors to her quarters, locking it, motioning for them to make themselves comfortable as she went to her kitchen area. "Have a seat anywhere you like, I do apologize for the mess, no one is allowed to step foot into here you see so I had no use to tidy up. Completely forbidden unless invited."

"Forgive me if my question oversteps any privacy boundaries you wish to keep, but I was curious as to what was written on the piece of paper Allyson had given you." Singh, having taken to finding a spot on the couch, asked as he saw the Admiral freeze by her cabinet momentarily.

"Advice. You see, I'm known as a tyrant among my peers in the Empire, but I never started out that way." Admiral DeLuca said as she reached out to grab three glasses, along with grabbing whatever alcohol she had resting on her countertop. "I was once…Allyson. I am who I am today, simply because I was following orders, I used that to justify my actions and my change. People like me had to change to adapt you see, and by following orders to survive I lost myself and who I once was. It was only recently that I came to realize how…lonely my life was. How incomplete my life is. I'd forgotten who I was, and quite frankly…I missed that side of me."

Singh had doubts about what Allyson had said, that Admiral DeLuca had a vulnerable side, that it would only take him and McCoy to bring it to the surface. But here Admiral DeLuca was, telling them what she was feeling, the thoughts she kept hidden all these years spilling out behind closed doors. Singh knew now that the Commander's words held true, this woman wasn't just the most feared woman in the galaxy, she was also lost and broken.

"Admiral DeLuca." McCoy went over to the woman who looked up at the man in complete exhaustion. "Allyson, thank you for saving our lives."

"You're my Mates," Admiral DeLuca sluggishly shrugged her shoulders. "I searched tirelessly for you two, I wasn't going to have you two taken from me so easily after I put in so much work to hunt you two down."

Admiral DeLuca turned to McCoy and smiled, taking his hand and dragging him over to where Singh was sitting. She flopped down ungracefully onto the couch and dragged McCoy to sit beside her, situating herself just between the two men. Admiral DeLuca handed each man a glass and filled it up with the bottle she had brought over.

"The paper Allyson had given me." Admiral DeLuca smiled as she took a sip from the glass she held in her hand and in that moment, gone was Admiral DeLuca. The masked she wore had dropped, and though she looked exhausted she still had that serene smile that they had seen back in the transporter room. The woman sitting between the two men, was Allyson. _"Let them be your hope once more."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really tempted to make a one-shot of this Mirror universe to show Mirror!Allyson's past and present. The reason it's so long is because I wanted to make sure that in the future when you read them all together it makes sense and there's no mistake (or confusion) in details. Through the Looking Glass is based on Star Trek TOS S2E4 (Mirror, Mirror).


	28. A New Boss In Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a fluff episode, and I'm quite happy with it. Though if there's mistakes or if I have to do rewrites I will do it once I catch it (writing, I seem to not catch the little things lol). Thank you for the love and support! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

"Ally!" I heard my name being called just as I was getting out of the shower. "Ally! Open up!"

"Hold on! I'm not dressed!" I yelled in a slight panic as I reached down to whatever clothing was closest to me scattered about on my bed. "Give me a second!"

I quickly pulled the shirt over my head, it was extremely large compared to my usual clothing…I realized that it was one of Khan's black sleeping shirt. I shrugged my shoulder, it was too late to change out, and I went over to the door to let in whoever was urgently calling for my attention.

Carol's smiling face greeted me as she grabbed my arm and dragged the two of us back into my room, from behind her I noticed that Nyota was trailing right on Carol's heels.

"Who does the shirt belong to?" Nyota teased, knowing full well already whose, as she locked my door behind her.

"Well, when people are yelling out my name in a frantic tone, I figured it was an emergency and I didn't want to answer the door in only a towel." I said as Carol dragged me over to the bed, yanking me down to sit beside her as Nyota hopped over to sit right in the center of the bed. "Now, what's so urgent that you two are yelling my name rather loudly in the hallways?"

"Two things!" Nyota smiled. "Carol, you can go first."

"I saw my name Ally!" Carol giggled, unable to control her giddiness at revealing her news. "And Jim, he saw mine! He didn't try and run away either! It was the perfect opportunity to sit and talk about our Marks extensively! Ally, I really think that there's an actual future here! Nothing like seeing our Marks and acting like it doesn't exist while completely distancing ourselves as I expected!"

"What did he say?" I eagerly asked as Carol and Nyota smiled at each other. "Do I have to beg for the answer? Why am I the only one being left out?"

"Well…he said he loved me!" Carol giggled.

"Hell must have frozen over." I theatrically gasped before Carol hit my shoulder causing me to laugh. "Never would've thought I'd see the day that Jim finally said the 'L' word. I'm happy for you, Carol, I really am."

"I haven't been this excited since Boxing Day." Carol said. "Have you ever felt this way?"

"I've been excited, but never over a word, we never exchanged such pleasantries yet." I shook my head before Nyota suddenly grabbed my shoulders and turned my body to her.

"What do you mean you haven't!" Nyota asked. "Are…is everything all right between you three?"

"Everything is okay between us Nyota, more then okay. Fantastic even!" I assured with a smile. "We just never had the time or the right opportunity to say it. I think Leonard did try and say it once, but it wasn't the right time to finish it." I shrugged my shoulders. "I just assumed that actions speak louder than words. I know for a fact that they care and love me, I'm sure they know that too." I pursed my lips in thought. "Should…do you think they'd want me to say it?"

"I suppose every couple is different." Carol suggested. "Leonard seems like the type who would want it said to him, but Khan? Seems like the type who'd rather have actions than words."

"Oh! I know!" Nyota bounced on my bed. "Christmas is almost here! The captain is setting something up, decorating the whole ship! That would be the perfect chance! Just once I think will really get the ball rolling."

"Christmas? Really?" I laughed.

"Maybe it'll be better than the last Holiday we tried to celebrate?" Carol shrugged. "When…you know, Charlie made all those turkeys on Thanksgiving come to life?"

"I'll think about it." I smiled. "Enough about my Mates love life, what's the second thing?"

"Captain Kirk has informed me that we'll be beaming down to a planet to clean up some Federation contamination, and apparently…no men allowed." Nyota smiled. "Said he's requesting the best for this mission, so our names were thrown in."

"Our names?" I asked.

"Jim will fill you in when we report to him." Carol said. "Which is why we came to get you. The Captain wanted us in the transporter room, like…10 minutes ago."

"Why didn't you open up with that first!" I panicked as I tumbled off my bed, going over to my closet to get my uniform. "And then tell me the news about Jim finding out about your Mark on our way there!"

"This is better." Carol smiled. "Quickly, we'll wait."

"You're starting to act like Jim," I smiled as I quickly got dressed, using the dryer in our bathroom for my hair. "I already have my hands full dealing with one. I don't need two of you."

"You still love us." Nyota commented as I came out from my bathroom, giving my uniform a once over before nodding my head in approval.

"Yeah, I do. We're family." I said as I motioned toward my door. "Let's not keep our captain waiting."

* * *

"Nice of you three to show up." Jim greeted us the moment we entered the transporter room, and behind him I noticed that Spock, Leonard, and Khan were waiting for us as well.

"I didn't even know that I was needed until a few seconds ago." I looked pointedly at Nyota and Carol who made a point to avoid making eye contact with me the moment I turned to look at them. "So, a planet where no boys are allowed?"

"Yup!" Jim said as he started to fill me in on the mission report that we had just gotten from Starfleet. "Apparently, and this was before the non-interference directive went into effect. Apparently an old starship came into contact with the planet which interfered with their normal evolution. Starfleet got an old radio report and they asked us to look into it. Their civilization, before contamination if any, was at the beginning of industrialization. They're reportedly to be extremely intelligent and somewhat imitative. We were asked to repair it. Though, we're kind of going in a bit blind since the transmission was a bit contaminated in itself to make out full and complete details."

"Our roles?" I asked.

"As far as they'll know, you're the Captain of the Enterprise. Lieutenant Uhura is your First Officer, and Lieutenant Marcus is your Second Officer. You have the best of everything in your team: communication, medical, scientifically, weapons specialist. You'll be covered. I can't think of anyone better for this mission." Jim nodded his head. "You'll be going down with your standard equipment."

"Yes, Captain." The three of us voiced as we started to take off any extra equipment we had, leaving us with only our communicator and our Type 1 phaser: a small, basic version of the standard phaser that we usually carry on us.

"Also, your Mates came to see you off." Jim said as he motioned to the three men standing behind him.

"You included, Captain?" I mumbled under my breath.

"Say something Ally?" Jim asked as I saw him inching his way over to Carol.

"Nothing Captain." I knowingly smiled as I went over to Khan and Leonard. "You two are sweet for dropping everything just to see me off."

"Well, when Jim said he was sending only you three down on an unknown planet to answer an old distorted transmission, we had our concern." Leonard smiled.

"McCoy was concerned that you would be just as much as a risk taker as our captain, but you're a big girl." Khan said. "You'll take all the precautions to be careful, won't you?"

I couldn't help but laugh, there were some underlying hints in what they were implying and I could feel their anxiousness flowing out from them even without our Marks telling me so.

"You two worry too much, but if it makes you feel better we'll be as careful as can be." I placed an innocent kiss to both Leonard and Khan's cheek before I went over to the platform. "We'll be back before you know it."

When Nyota and Carol were done bidding Spock and Jim farewell they came to stand on the platforms beside me.

"Energize." I cued as I felt every particle in our body being pulled apart, and when we rematerialized I had to resist the urge to rub my eyes at what I was seeing.

"Didn't…didn't the captain say that this was an all female world?" Nyota asked before a loud horn blared from behind us caused us to immediately rush over to the side and out of their way.

An old fashioned car drove past us, an angry man wagging his fist in our direction as I continued to stare at our surroundings in awe.

"This is no female only type of world…" I mumbled as we walked along the sidewalk. This place was like a blast to the past! Newspapers flying across the road, cardboard boxes stacked haphazardly on the sidewalk, and the clothing was very…20th century. "where the hell are we?"

"It's like the roaring twenties!" Carol commented as we saw some of the women dressed in…what were those clothes called again? Flappers? The women wore skirts, sailor blouses, large brim hats, and all the men wore pinstripe suits with fedora like hats. "Ally, they're carrying firearms!"

"Clearly a misunderstanding. Maybe the transmission Starfleet received was too corrupted to completely make out." Nyota offered as one of the women walking by bumped into her shoulder, muttering an insult as she passed by us.

"Yeah, maybe." I said as we leaned against one of the benches. "We should report back to the Captain before trouble rears its ugly head."

Before any of us could move to make a call to the Enterprise, a man's voice came up from behind us.

"You three," he said as we turned around to see two guns pointed right at us. "let's see you petrified."

"Petrified?" Carol asked, her eyes staring right at the gun.

"I want to see you turn to stone." The man repeated, still not emphasizing what exactly he meant. "Put your hands over your head, or you ain't goin' to have no head to put your hands over."

"Do as he says…" I ordered as we held our hands up, making sure not to make any sudden movements to startle the two men.

"What's with the fancy getup?" The man asked, motioning toward our uniforms with his gun. "Hey, that symbol, you from the same outfit as the Horizon?"

'The Horizon?' I thought back to my books of the history of starships, according to the books they were lost after leaving a planet and we could never recover what exactly happened. What the hell was that planet named again? "Yes, but the Horizon had been lost a long time ago."

We watched as the two silently conversed, still holding the guns right at us before the first man turned back to us. "You're coming with us to see the Boss, hand over your heaters."

"Heaters?" Nyota asked as the second guy came around to take our communicators and our standard phasers out of our holders.

"What's this?" The first man asked as he handled our phaser with no care, at one point having pointed it at his partner.

"That's a weapon. Be careful with that." I warned in a slight panic, seeing his finger about to press the button while it was aimed at his partner.

"A heater, huh? Yeah, the Boss'll love that." The man smiled as he pocketed the little box. "Get moving, the Boss has been waiting for you to return."

"We'll follow, though those firearms are not necessary." Carol glared at the man.

"You trying to make trouble?" The man asked.

"Am I not speaking English?" Carol looked at me incredulously.

"Don't give me those baby blue eyes." The man threatened.

"Excuse me?" Carol glared at the man.

"We're speaking English, they're not." I commented as the man turned his gun onto me.

"I don't go for that innocent routine." The man warned. "Broads you may be, but if you're from the same outfit as the Horizon? I'm not taking any chances."

"Broads?!" Nyota took a threateningly step forward before I held my hand out to stop her.

"Does everyone here carry firearms?" I asked curiously.

"I never heard such stupid questions in my life." The man commented.

"I think…we will see your 'Boss', now." I said, taking what little we knew and trying to find some form of explanation, and I needed more information about what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. Not to mention they took our communicators, we wouldn't be able to report to the Enterprise about what's happening to us. I could only hope that Jim wouldn't send anymore people down. I did, however, have an inkling on what planet we were on.

"All right. Get moving, down the street." The man commanded.

We nodded our head, and we had only taken a few steps forward before a car came careening around the corner, taking a hard turn as a man stuck half of his body out of the window with his gun aimed right in our direction.

The gun went off killing the second guy in the blue pinstripe suit as the first guy started to return fire while we hurried to hide behind a metal…mailbox? Every man and woman went to take cover just as we did, screaming and yelling at the sudden commotion and I could only watch on in fascination.

"Krako's gettin' more gall all the time." The man commented as I went over to check on the guy who had fallen into a pile of boxes.

"He's dead." I informed as I got to my feet and went over to the guy who still had his gun trained in the direction the car had gone. "Is this how you greet all your guests?"

"It happens, lady." The guy brushed off his partners death as if it was an everyday occurrence, and it could very well be judging off how easy it was that a car could pull up and cause an all out fight to occur in the middle of the street in broad daylight.

"That man's dead back there." Carol argued.

"Yeah, well, ain't payin' for peanuts. What's the matter, you girls never saw a hit before?" The man asked.

"We have some questions that we need to ask-" I began to say before I was rudely cut off.

"Ask the Boss. I don't know nothin'. Get movin'." The man, now on edge, commanded as we hurriedly went in the direction we were previously going before we were shot at.

"This is the contamination the captain was talking about." Nyota commented.

"But not the planet we expected." I whispered. "These men mentioned the Horizon, now that ship had vanished after leaving a certain planet, Sigma Iotia II, years ago. The planet lifeforms were known as the Iotians. If this is the planet, then they would fit Jim's description. Highly intelligent along with somewhat imitative."

"The signal that was sent out must've been too distorted and primitive, that would explain why they heard it wrong." Nyota said.

"Lucky us. But the crew of the Horizon weren't killers. We have to figure out how far this contamination went to influence the Iotians so much." I turned to the man who was escorting us, still with a gun trained on our group. "What the hell happened here?"

"Hey!" A woman in a black dress casually walked up to the man. "Hey, when's the boss going to do somethin' about the crummy streetlights around here, eh?" The woman turned to us, glancing down at our attire before continuing to talk to our escort. "A girl ain't safe."

"Yeah," Another woman joined the conversation, this one dressed completely in a pink sequined dress with a long pearl necklace draped around her neck. "and how about the laundry pickup? We ain't had a truck by in three weeks."

"Write him a letter." The guy stated.

"I did." The woman in pink drawled out. "He sent it back with postage due."

"Listen, we pay our percentages. We're entitled to a little service for our money, huh?" The woman in black barked.

"Get lost, will ya?" Our escort threatened as he pointed the gun in the opposite direction that the girls had come from to make a point.

The two women took that as their cue to leave, the woman in pink circling our escort before walking away with a sway of her hips.

"Some people got nothin' to do but complain." Our escort, ironically, complained about the complainers.

"Is this the way your citizens do business, their right to petition?" I asked curiously.

"They pay their percentages and the Boss takes care of them." Our escort replied.

"And who is… _ **the Boss**_?"

* * *

We were led into an apartment-like building that seemed pretty extravagant inside compared to the outside of the building. And inside, no surprise, there were more men carrying firearms.

Before I could even comment on the decor of the building along with taking a good look at our surroundings we were shoved from behind to keep moving as we came up to what reminded me of a receptionist desk.

"Phone the Boss," The man ordered the woman who was sitting at the desk. "he's gonna wanna see these three."

The lady nodded her head as she reached over to what looked like a buzzer and from the other line we could hear a man respond rather irritably.

 _ **"** **Yeah?"**_ The man asked.

"Got a few broads we found wanderin' the streets, same outfit as the Horizon." Our escort responded and for a few seconds there wasn't any reply.

 _ **"** **All right, bring 'em in."**_ The man on the other end responded and that was permission enough as our escort started to shove us in the direction of these large, beautiful double wooden doors.

Our escort opened the doors and inside was a man, possibly in his late 50's, sleek back peppered hair dressed in a grayish blue suit playing pool, or at least he looked like he was about to play as he set up the white ball on the billiard table with the cue stick in hand.

"Which one of you gals is the captain?" The man asked.

"It depends on who's asking." I responded as the guy smiled, letting out an amused laugh as he pointed at me.

"Make yourself a drink, captain." The guy responded as he took the white ball and moved it to another spot on the table. "It's good stuff I distill it myself."

"No, thank you." I shook my head. "Am I right to assume that you are the Boss?" I asked.

"Bela Okmyx. Men around here address me as the Boss, yes." The man said as he concentrated on his next target.

"My name is Captain Allyson DeLuca of the USS Enterprise, this is my First Officer Commander Uhura, and my Second Officer Commander Marcus." I introduced and lightly shook my head when I saw that either of my friends were going to try and say something to contradict what I'd just said.

"You know, Captain DeLuca, I'm quite surprised that they would send an all women group to answer our signal." Okmyx said.

"And is there something wrong with a ship commanded by a woman?" Nyota bit out as Okmyx held his hands up defensively.

"Ladies, I mean you no disrespect! I consider myself an open minded guy! It's quite…admirable. You three must be pretty impressive to become the top dog in your territory." Okmyx laughed as he went back to lining up his shot. "I'm just surprised is all, the Horizon left our planet a hundred years ago, why now?"

"Yes, well…it's quite complicated, we'd only just gotten your message a month ago." I said.

"Put that chopper down, Kalo. These gals are our guests." Okmyx scolded toward the man behind us before motioning down in front of me. "Pick up a cue, captain. Go ahead." I picked it up, having not a clue what to do with it considering I've never played something like this before. I've only seen pictures of them. "You got to excuse my boys. You can't be too careful around here these days."

"Judging from what we've seen so far, I agree." Carol commented.

"What exactly are you the boss of, if you don't mind me asking Mister Okmyx." I asked as Okmyx stood to his full height and looked at me as if perplexed by my question, taking off his glasses as he started to speak.

"Why, the boss of my territory. I got the biggest in the world. You know, there's one thing wrong with having the biggest. There's always some punk trying to cut you out." Okmyx smiled as he motioned toward Kalo behind us. "That's why you can't be too careful."

"And…you're the government here?" I asked.

"What government?" Okmyx asked as I saw his lips move, the toothpick he had in his mouth shifting over to the other side. "Like I told you, I got the territory, and I run it, that's all."

"So, you're telling me that there are other bosses, other territories?" I was trying to get as much information on how the Iotians ran the planet now. I'm sure it's what Jim would've done. We can't really call back to the Enterprise, so we might as well act the part and try to fix things.

"Yeah, sure." Okmyx said as he drew back his cue stick, the tip coming into contact with the white ball making a loud thwacking noise as he continued to speak. "Maybe a dozen or so, not countin' the small fry, but then they get burned away, as soon as I get around to it."

"Does one of those bosses include a man named Krako?" Nyota asked as I realized from where her voice came from that she had left Carol's side and was now standing somewhere to my left behind me.

Okmyx stopped as he turned his attention right to Nyota, a slight confusion on his face. "How do you know about Krako?"

"He hit us, Boss." Kalo responded as I watched Okmyx shift the toothpick in his mouth once more before biting down hard on the piece of wood.

"O.K. You hit him back, you hear? Hard." Okmyx commanded.

"I'll take care of it." Kalo said almost in excitement.

"Captain? Commander." Nyota called for my attention, and when I turned to where she was standing I saw her touching a large white book that was placed on some type of music stand. I went over to get a better look at what Nyota had found and saw the interesting title. _Chicago Mobs of the Twenties_. "Gangsters."

"Chicago. Mobs." I read as I opened the book to inspect its pages. "Published in 1992." I looked to Nyota and Carol in astonishment before turning back to Okmyx. "Where'd you get this?"

"Hey, wait a minute." Okmyx dropped his cue stick to come stand beside us. "That's the Book."

"I know it's a book." I sighed.

" _The_ Book." Okmyx stated. "They left it, the other ship, the Horizon."

"This is the contamination, Captain." Nyota confirmed as she looked back at the book in wonder. "An entire culture based on this."

"Jim said they were imitative and the book-" Carol tried to say something before Okmyx cut in, a bit defensive judging off the tone he was using toward us.

"I don't want any more cracks about the Book." Okmyx warned as he pointed at the thing they seemed to idolize.

"Was there any other books that were left behind?" I asked in hopes to avoid incurring the wrath of a mob boss.

"Yeah, sure. Some textbooks on how to make radio sets and stuff like that, but look," Okmyx smiled. "I asked for a ship to come so I could get some help, and here you are! I didn't bring you down here for you to ask me questions. After you help me, I'll answer anythin' you want to know."

"What is it you want?" I asked curiously.

"Well…I've been thinking." Okmyx reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he led me me away from my two friends. "You feds must have made a lot of improvements since that other ship came here. You probably got all kinds of fancy heaters up there. So here's the deal." Okmyx and myself stopped by his desk. "You give me all the heaters I need-enough tools so I can knock off all those punks all at once. I'll take over, then all you have to do is deal with me."

"You want us to supply you with arms and assistance so you can carry out an aggression against your neighbors?" I asked in disbelief.

"What aggression?" Okmyx furiously took off his glasses. "I gotta make some hits. I want you to help me hit them, that's all."

"With all due respect, Mister Okmyx, it's impossible. Our weapons aren't ones for destruction." Nyota argued.

"Mister Okmyx, my orders are quite explicit. Under no circum-" _**"** **I ain't interested in** **your**_ _**orders."**_ Okmyx raised his voice at me, poking my chest with his glasses in hand.

"From now on, you're goin' to take orders from me. I'm goin' to give you just eight hours to give me the things I want. If I don't have those tools by then, I'm goin' to call up your ship and have them pick you up-in a box." Okmyx snapped his fingers as Kalo and another man came to hold their guns at my head. "Is that understood, DeLuca?"

"Hey, Boss," I looked behind and saw Kalo reaching into the pocket of his suit, tossing over our phaser to Okmyx. "this here's a heater, and I don't know what this is." Along with our communicator.

Okmyx looked at the 'heater', studying which button to press before he pointed it at one of the walls of his office. "Well, let's see how this thing works."

"Don't do that." I reached out to stop him, noticing that the moment my hand grabbed for Okmyx's wrist the second guy reacted, itching to shoot and protect his boss. What was that saying? Itchy trigger finger? "You could knock out the side of the building."

"Eh heh, that good, huh?" Okmyx chuckled as he admired the tiny device in his hand. "Now, all you'd have to do is give me about 100 of these fancy heaters, and…we'll have no more trouble."

"Out of the question." I shot Okmyx down.

"Captain DeLuca, I usually get what I want. I have no problem icing a few broads in the process. You wanna play with the big boys? We're all on even ground." Okmyx responded as he motioned toward my communicator. "What's this thing?" And when I failed to respond Okmyx grew impatient as he motioned toward the man to my left. "All right, burn 'em."

"Hold it." I held my hand up to the gun as I turned to look back at my two friends before letting out a defeated sigh. "It's a communication device."

"How's it work?" Okmyx asked as he held the communicator toward me.

"It's locked onto my ship's system-" I reached out eagerly to grab for it before Okmyx withdrew his hand and gave me a look.

"Kalo, take 'em to the warehouse and put 'em in a bag." Okmyx ordered. "Keep a sharp eye on 'em, ya hear?"

* * *

"What's taking them so long? Where are they?" I asked as I paced back and forth on the bridge. "Ally should've reported in by now."

"Bones," Jim sighed. "relax! They know what they're doing. It's not their first rodeo."

"Aren't you worried about Lieutenant Marcus, Captain?" Khan asked as he was seen, though intentional no one would know, leaning on Allyson's station.

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"She's your Mate isn't she?" Khan bluntly pointed out causing Jim to stutter at the accusation.

"She's not-" _**"** **You forget Captain that Commander DeLuca, Lieutenant Uhura, and Lieutenant Marcus confide in each other when we are not around."**_ Spock interrupted Jim.

"Thick as thieves those three." I huffed as I sent Jim a sly smile. "They tell each other everything. Not to mention, need I remind you, that we were roommates back in the academy. I can confirm-"

"Alright, okay!" Jim cut in as he let out a frustrated sigh. "What is this? 'Pick on the captain' day? Ally, Nyota, and Carol are fine. They're fine! They're grown women, amazing officers, who know what they're doing and what their mission is. They're probably negotiating with the leader on how to clean up whatever contamination was left behind by the previous Federation ship as we speak." Jim started to pout and when we continued to stare at our captain, his body seemed to shrink further into his chair under our gaze. "Okay, so I'm worried as well, happy?"

He didn't admit that Carol was his Mate, but he didn't deny it either.

"As long as you share our concern." Khan commented and just as Jim was about to make a snide remark a voice came through from Jim's chair.

 _ **"** **Hey, you…in the ship up there!"**_ Jim looked down at the intercom in his arm rest, glancing at all of us that was gathered in confusion because **that** was not a woman's voice. _**"** **Hey, you in the ship."**_

"Answer!" I harshly whispered.

"Kirk here." Jim responded with uncertainty. "Who am I speaking to?"

 _ **"** **This is Bela Okmyx. I got your Captain and her friends down 'ere. You wanna see 'em alive again, you'll send me down a hundred of these fancy heaters ya got and some troops to show me how to use 'em."**_ This Bela Okmyx demanded.

"Am I to understand," Jim said as he looked back at Spock with concern. "that you're holding the Captain and her party captive?"

 _ **"** **Ya heard right, pal. I'm goin' to give you just eight hours to get me the goods I want, or I put the hit on your friends. Any attempt at a rescue? At a hit? And I put the bag on 'em you understand?"**_ Okmyx treated which caused Khan to step forward in alarm at the threat.

Before Jim was able to respond, the line went dead as the four of us stared down at the intercom.

"What's a heater?"

* * *

"One book on the gangs of Chicago did all this?" Nyota shook her head. "It's amazing."

"They took that book and used it as a blueprint for an entire society." Carol noted. "They're treating it just as we treat the bible."

"In old Chicago conventional government almost broke down, the gangs nearly took over." Nyota said. "This Okmyx must be the worst gangster of all of them."

"His method is questionable, but his goal is essentially the correct one. This society must become united, or it will degenerate into total anarchy." I whispered as we sat in the corner of this warehouse onto these wooden crates filled with what I'm going to assume was stolen items. "Us being here is completely by mistake, though who's mistake I will never point fingers to blame. If this society broke down as a result of the Horizon's influence, then the Federation's responsible, so we've got to do something to straighten this mess out."

"But how? We're stuck down here, and even if we wanted access to our computers to find a solution, those men-" Nyota pointed to the three who were sat playing some sort of card game. "aren't likely to allow us to just...walk out of here and back to our ship."

"The only thing I can think of is getting all the heads of the territories, the Bosses of each territory, together in a room to talk out their differences and come to a consensus." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "It would seem like the ones with the bigger guns do the most talking while everyone listens…" I brightened up at the idea, though it may just be a gamble, it just might work. Who amongst us has the bigger guns then the Enterprise! "I've got a plan, but we can't do anything if we're stuck here."

"I think I've got an idea to get us out of this predicament." Nyota smiled as she got up from where she sat and made her way over to the group of men who sat around the table. Carol and myself shared a look as we followed our friend, being very cautious as we saw the men grab for the guns that they had kept close to them and pointed it at us the second we approached.

"Gentlemen, there's no need for that." Nyota held up her hands as she got closer to the table and gestured toward their cards. "This-this card game is a kid's game."

"You think so, huh?" Kalo sneered as he pointed his handgun at Nyota.

"Yes, why, I wouldn't waste my time." Nyota stated.

"Who's asking you?" Kalo stated, almost defensive as Nyota tried to find the right words in order not to cause him to shoot at her.

"Along with the heaters, our games have advanced significantly, why on Beta Antares 4, they play a real game. It's a man's game, but of course it's probably a little beyond you. It requires intelligence." Nyota placed her hand on her chest as she smiled. "Though, it was quite easy to comprehend for 'lil ol' me. I beat out the best."

I took a glance at Carol who was trying her best to hide the smile that was threatening to show through, and I caught on to what Nyota was trying to do…I think? Though as far as I knew, Beta Antares didn't have such a game.

"Listen 'lil lady, I can play anythin' you can figure out." Kalo slammed his gun on the table and started to gather the cards into his hand. Obviously, taking the bait. No man on this planet, it would seem, wants to be shown up by a girl. "Take the cards, big talker. Show us how it's played."

Kalo motioned for one of the men to vacate his seat, and Nyota nodded her head in thanks, still with a smug smile on her face as she took the free seat.

"Of course, the cards on Beta Antares 4 are different, but not too different." Nyota grabbed the deck of cards from Kalo as she kept eye contact with the man. "The name of the game is called…Fizzbin."

"Fizzbin?" Kalo repeated as Nyota nodded her head, beginning to deal out the cards.

"Fizzbin. It's…not too difficult. Each player gets six cards, except for the dealer-the player on the dealer's right, who gets seven." Nyota explained as Kalo seemed to be solely concentrated on the rules, hanging on to Nyota's every word. _**"** **On the right?"**_ "Yes. The second card is turned up, except on Tuesday." _**"** **On Tuesday?"**_ "Mm-hmm."

Nyota flipped another card over and she started to smile excitedly. "Oh, look what you got, two jacks. You got a half fizzbin already." Kalo started to smile along with Nyota as he pointed down at the flipped card. _**"** **I need another jack."**_ "No, no, you see if you got another jack, why, you'd have a sralk." _**"** **A sralk?"**_ "Yes, you'd be disqualified. No, what you need now is either a king and a deuce, except at night, of course, when you'd need a queen and a four." _**"** **Except at night."**_ "Right."

I'd forgotten for a second that we were dealing with Iotians, they were incredibly smart, Kalo repeating everything Nyota was saying was possibly his method of learning the rules quicker, to get the rules down to a T. Nyota turned over another card and she smirked at Kalo.

"Oh, look at that. You've got another jack! How lucky you are! How wonderful for you." Nyota congratulated. "Now, if you didn't get another jack—if you had gotten a king, why, then, you'd get another card, except when it's dark, when you'd have to give it back." _**"** **If it were dark on Tuesday."**_ "Yes, but what you're after is a royal fizzbin, but the odds in getting a royal fizzbin are astronomical—" Nyota fumbled over her words before turning to look at me. "Ally, what are the odds in getting a royal fizzbin?"

"I-" I stumbled, taken off guard at being included because even I wasn't following along with this new game I've just now heard about. "Slim to none?"

"Correct, they're astronomical, believe me." I nodded my head, looking down at the cards. "Now, for the last card. We'll call it a kronk. You got that?" Nyota took a glance up to Carol and myself, a slight glimmer in her eyes, a signal to the two of us as I moved closer to Kalo while Carol inched over to the man closest to her. _**"** **What?"**_

Nyota looked at Kalo, and as she flipped the next card it had slipped and fallen to the ground.

"Oh, I'll get it." Kalo eagerly offered and in that exact moment, simultaneously as Nyota had flipped the table I lifted my leg and kneed Kalo hard in temple, successfully knocking him out as Nyota and Carol went on the attack.

I reached down for one of the submachine guns, those were what they were called if I remember, along with the handgun Kalo had taken out and turned around in time to see the last man, Nyota's target fall to the ground unconscious.

"Suppose they assumed we wouldn't try anything funny." Carol huffed as she reached down for the other submachine gun. "the arrogance of men."

"I think after this they won't underestimate us ever again, a good and a bad thing." I said as I pointed to Carol and Nyota. "Nyota, find the radio station, someone will be monitoring all frequencies, have yourselves beamed back onto the ship and inform Jim what's going on down here."

"What about you?" Nyota asked.

"I'll be right behind you, we need to bring Mister Okmyx with us for the plan to work." Before Carol or Nyota could say anything else, insist that there was another way, I shook my head. "Though we are not directly to blame for this mess, it's still our mess and it is our responsibility to make things right. You have your orders, let's go."

Once outside the warehouse the three of us went our separate ways as I went around to the back alley with the submachine still in my hands in hopes to catch Okmyx off guard.

"Hold it!"

I stopped mid run as I turned to see a man in a beige suit come from around the corner in the alley, his gun pointed at me and I could only sigh. He brought up his gun and cocked it.

"O.K., lady, we're goin' for a ride."

* * *

"What's there to discuss." Khan growled.

"We don't know the situation down on that planet!" Jim argued. "We could be walking into a trap!"

"Their lives could be in danger!" Leonard argued.

"You don't think I know that! We can't just go down there with our phasers out!" Jim glared at both Khan and Leonard. "It's not only your Mate that's down there! Spock's Mate is down there! Mine is too…" Jim mumbled. "Emotions are running high, we have to come up with a fully thought out plan, try and wait until one of them can get in touch with the Enterprise."

"And if they don't?" Khan asked. "I'll be holding you responsible if there's even a scratch on Allyson."

"I know…" Jim let out a frustrated sigh. "I know."

 _ **"** **Enterprise, this is Lieutenant Uhura. Enterprise come in."**_ Nyota's voice interrupted the fight that was going on between Jim, Leonard, and Khan, easing away the tension as the three men turned in Spock's direction as they saw him reach out to Nyota's station.

"Nyota," Spock answered. "what are you doing on this frequency?"

 _ **"** **It's a long and complicated story, Spock."**_ Nyota let out a relieved sigh.

"Nyota!" Jim went over to Spock's side. "Nyota! What's going on? Are you three all right?"

 _ **"** **We're all right Captain. Carol and I were ordered to beam back aboard the Enterprise to inform you what's been going on."**_ Nyota said and that caused a sense of panic in both Khan and Leonard, the latter rushing over to Jim's side.

"Where's Allyson?" Leonard asked. "Is she all right?"

 _ **"** **Ally's fine, she had to pick up someone as…hostage."**_ Carol replied. _**"** **We'll tell you everything when we get back to the ship."**_

"Transporter." Jim called. "Two to beam up. Lock on to these coordinates-"

Before Jim could finish giving his orders, from the other end there was a sound of bullets being fired rapidly in the background.

 _ **"** **They've found us!"**_ Nyota's panicked voice called as more bullets were being fired. _**"** **Forgo the beam up, there's no time!"**_

 _ **"** **Jim, listen. The old transmission radio was wrong! They got their information wrong! This planet is called Sigma Iota II, it is not an all female planet! The inhabitants, Iotians, the contamination was left by the Federation ship Horizon who had left an old book on Chicago mobs behind! The Iotians used it and built their whole society around it!"**_ Carol shrieked as she continued to relay the following information. _**"** **Don't come down! They want our heaters…phasers! If they get their hands on them, an all out war will occur on the planet!"**_

 _ **"** **Carol! We've got to go!"**_ Nyota said as her voice came closer, switching places with Carol. _**"** **Captain, we'll find another way to contact you. Stand by. Don't send anyone down!"**_

"Nyota-" Jim heard the line go dead, communication cut off. "Carol-" Jim looked to Spock hopefully. "can you get them back?"

Spock reached over, flipping a few switches before shaking his head after a few minutes. "I am unable to get them back."

"Damn it!" Jim cursed. "Well, what do we do now?"

"Jim, those were gunshots." Leonard breathed out. "Not phasers, not some alien technology, actual gun shots we heard."

"Yes, I know." Jim sucked in his bottom lip. "Spock, please tell me we have a plan."

"Due to the conviction in Lieutenant Uhura's voice…" Spock took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Nyota's station. "we must wait for either Commander DeLuca or Lieutenant Uhura to make contact once more before we make any future decisions."

"Shit!" Jim kicked the console, turning his back as he leaned against his chair, his breathing heavy as he thought of all the negative things that could be happening down on the surface of the planet. "Spock, search up all the information we have on the Horizon and the Iotians. I want to know what we're dealing with."

"Yes, Captain…" Spock governed his emotion as he went about busying himself. Though he did not outwardly show it, Spock was just as worried and concerned for his Mate as his companions, struggling internally just as they were.

* * *

"So, you're the fed, huh?" The man, his voice a little gravely, smirked as he looked me up and down. "Well, well, well, well, well."

After being taken away and escorted once again to another building, I was getting a sense of deja vu as I was greeted rather warmly by another older gentlemen. This guy was on the taller side, a bit rounder around the waist area and his hairline slightly receding.

"And you are?" I asked as I sized him up as well.

"Krako! Jojo Krako. I'm the head of the whole Southside territory." The man, Krako, introduced proudly as he placed his hand on my shoulder a bit too friendly for my taste. "Hey, I'm glad to see you."

"Would you please be so kind as to tell me how you even know who I am?" I asked as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and forcefully led me away from the door.

"Sit down, DeLuca!" Krako said as he went over to his desk, myself sitting on one of the chairs situated beside it. "I've got all of Bela's communications bugged. He can't make a date with a broad unless I know about it." Krako leaned back into his chair, his hand nestled under his chin as he smiled at me. "Well, I guess you'd wanna know…why I brought you here."

"You want to make a deal." I guessed.

"'Ey, I like that. That is sharp." Krako praised as he looked behind me. "That's sharp, eh, Zabo?"

"Sharp, Boss." My other escort, Zabo, agreed.

"That's right, a deal. I want **you** to help **me**." Krako pointed out for emphasis.

"Let me guess. You want...heaters, and then you'll want troops to teach you how to use them. And you'll attack the other bosses and take over the whole planet." I presumed. "Then we'll sit down and talk, right?"

"Wrong!" Krako shot my presumption down. "I know Bela. He didn' offer you beans. Now, me...I'm a reasonable man. You give me what I want, and I'll cut you in for, say, uh...a third, skimmed right off the top." Krako held out his hands, satisfied at his own suggestion. "Well, what do you think?"

"I got a better idea." I leaned forward onto Krako's desk, Krako following my exact movements, curious at what my counter deal would be. "This planet has to be united. Now, you know that, Bela knows that. So I suggest, all of us sit down-you, me, Bela-and we discuss this whole matter with the other bosses and talk about it like reasonable adults."

"You watch it, DeLuca!" Krako threatened. "The Book tells us how to handle things! You make hits. Somebody argues, you lean on 'em. What do you think, we're stupid or something?"

"I didn't say that at all Mister Krako. I just think your behavior is arrested." And that seemed to set Krako off as he started to yell while pounding on his desk.

"I've never been arrested in my whole life!" Krako yelled. "Now, listen, lady, I know how to get what I want. You want to live, dontcha DeLuca? You bet you do. But after I get through with you, you're liable to be sorry unless you come across." Krako turned to look behind me at Zabo. "Hold her 'ere. Tell Ciril the Knife to sharpen up his blade. I just might have a job for him." Krako attempted to instill fear into me, and sad to say, his attempts were falling on deaf ears. After seeing my Father get angry? This little act was child's play. "Unless you come across with heaters."

I sighed, shook my head to deny his request as I stood up from the chair. "I'm sorry, Krako. No deal."

"That's too bad." Krako said before dismissing me. "Put 'er on ice!"

* * *

"It seems that we've underestimated you three. I can guarantee that won't happen again ladies." Okmyx said as he had his men hold their positions, ordering them to constantly keep Nyota and Carol in sights. "Word from the vine, Krako's put the bag on your captain. He'll scrag 'er, too. Doesn't matter man or broad. Now, I can help you get your captain back if you simply get me what I want." Okmyx walked over to Nyota and Carol, and when the two women didn't say anything Okmyx simply sighed. "Listen ladies, you don't have to trust me, business is business. We'll call a truce. My boys will spring DeLuca and then we'll talk about giving me a hand."

"I have faith in Captain DeLuca," Nyota stared forward, taking a glance at the guns that were being held at them and unimpressed by the situation they were in. "she won't need your help. Our orders are clear."

"I don't understand, you've stated the need for unity of authority on this planet, we just want to help." Carol immediately cut Okmyx off, knowing exactly what he was going to imply. "Without the 'heaters'."

"Yeah, but I gotta be the unity." Okmyx defended.

"Cooperation would result-" _**"** **The most cooperate man in this world is a dead man. And if the next words outta your mouth isn't getting what I want, you're goin' to be cooperatin'."**_

In that moment, Allyson burst through the doors with a gun pointed at the backs of the two men that were preventing Carol and Nyota from taking action.

"Drop the guns!" Allyson threatened as she cocked the gun. "Drop 'em and move down there." Allyson looked to Nyota and Carol. "I thought I told you two to get back to the ship."

"They found us before we could Captain, but we were able to get a message to the ship." Nyota informed as she went over to Okmyx to retrieve their communicators along with their phasers.

"Hey, Captain, you got away from Krako." Okmyx was honestly impressed as he watched Allyson step further into the room. "You know, that ain't easy."

"Krako made the same mistake you did. Word to the wise, Mister Okmyx, women can be just as dangerous when their life is threatened. And I wasn't going to be one to lay down and take it." Allyson lowered her gun, though still on guard at any sudden movement incase Okmyx's lackeys tried anything funny.

"What are we going to do now?" Carol asked.

"Well, now that we have Bela, I'm goin' to put the bag on Krako." Allyson stated before letting out a sigh. "I've been on this planet too damn long." Allyson reached out to the two men, pointing her gun at them. "I like your suit. Though men, you seem to have a slim physique, about the same height too, we can alter a few things before we leave. Get out of 'em." _**"**_ _ **Hey! Just a minute!"**_ "You too! Get out of the clothes! Any more resistance, and I'll pump you full of lead. Nobody's goin' to put the bag on **me** anymore!"

They had no other choice, there was a gun pointed at them, and a captain who was too irritated from being dragged around places? Well, she could do anything at this moment.

"Commander Uhura, in the mood to play dress up?" Allyson asked as she kept her sights trained on the two men. Nyota was a bit too eager to agree as she went over to collect the brown suit that was slowly being discarded piece by piece. "What about you Commander Marcus?"

"I'll keep watch here, Captain." Carol turned her phaser onto Okmyx. "Make sure they don't try anything funny."

"You two are crazy, what are you gonna do with those suits?" Okmyx asked as Allyson went about gathering the blue pinstripe suit.

"Commander Marcus, take some rope, tie 'em up." Allyson was rather giddy as she lifted her gun, holding it vertically as she swung the coat over her shoulders. "Look out boys, there's a new boss in town."

* * *

"I always wanted to play dress up on a mission." I said as we exited Bela Okmyx building, fixing my hat.

"You're enjoying this too much." Nyota said as she came out of the building behind me, her fedora pulled low on her head as she looked down the street through the brim of her hat. "Though, we do look very good in these suits."

"When did you get so good at the local lingo?" Nyota asked.

"Old Earth movies. I'm making this up as I go." I motioned to the car that was parked just in front of the building as we walked down the flight of stairs. "We'll take that car to Krako's."

"You sure you know how to drive this thing?" Nyota asked as we hopped into the vehicle, accepting my gun as I passed it over to her.

"No, but...I'm sure it can't be that difficult to learn." I smiled nervously to Nyota as I recalled what I've heard from Jim when he told me that incident he had as a child. I reached over, turned the key, released the clutch as I felt the car give away. "Yeah, simple enough…" I pressed one of the pedals and immediately the car backed up and I heard something metal fall over. I quickly switched over to another pedal and felt the car drive forward.

The ride there was bumpy, stopping and going as we drove that I think Nyota along with myself was getting, what I heard people call it, car sickness. I was driving erratically, hearing the car backfiring as I swivel on all sides of the road before we came to a complete stop at where I knew Krako's lair would be.

"I don't ever want to drive one of these again…" I took a deep breath. "I'd rather be in a Starship."

"Maybe you can ask Khan or Leonard for driving lessons." Nyota wobbly got out of the car just as I did.

"After today? I have developed a fear of cars." I mumbled as she handed me my gun as we turned to where Krako's lair was and saw two men stationed at the entrance. "That could be a bit of a problem. If they were inside, where they wouldn't be seen, we could stun them with our phasers, but not out here."

"We have to find a way to get close to them to render them unconscious." Nyota said as we ducked down to hide in front of our car. "So, do we have a plan?"

I was about to reply with a negative, because honestly? At this point I was making things up as I went along with only the main objective being that we needed to get all the territorial bosses together to unite this planet. I had no plan.

When suddenly, while Nyota and I were thinking on what to do next, a kid had come running, startling us as he seemed to smile. "Why you two ladies dressed that way?"

"Well…" I looked to Nyota for assistance, but she seemed just as lost on how to respond.

"It's a hit, ain't it? No one would suspect a couple of women to plan something this big." The kid seemed to bounce with excitement as he looked to be twiddling a switchblade in his hand. "Can I watch?" And when we didn't answer again the kid could only smirk. "If you're going to hit Krako, I wouldn't do it out here. You open up, and you'll be scrabbed from every window in the street. I can fix it for ya."

"You know a way to get close to them? How?" I asked as the kid came to sit beside me.

"What's in it for me?" The kid asked.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"A piece of the action, I figure it's gotta be a thick percentage, or you wouldn't be trying to hit Krako." The kid logically deduced.

"Smart kid." Nyota commented.

"We guarantee you...a piece of the action _**if**_ we can pull this thing off." I said.

"Is that a contract?" The kid looked at me as I held my hand out for him to shake. He smiled at me, shook my hand and the deal was done. Morally, I wouldn't have asked, but what other choice did we have?

"What do we do?" I asked as I looked around the car and at the two men stationed at the door.

"You'll know what to do." The kid said as he dashed out from our hiding spot, swinging his blade side to side as he went up to the two members that were on lookout.

"Is it wise to trust a kid?" Nyota nervously asked.

"No," I looked over to Nyota. "but what choice do we have? We need to be smart about this. We have Okmyx, now we need to get Krako, and if we go in there with guns drawn then we'll just end up getting ourselves killed." I looked back toward the building, seeing that the little boy was 'play fighting' with the two men. "I don't know about you, but I think if we die here, our Mates will find a way to bring us back and kill us ourselves for acting so recklessly."

"Mommy, mommy, I hurt myself!" I watched as the little boy screamed while 'withering' in pain on the ground.

"Guess that's our cue…let's go." I reached over the car door and placed my gun in the back seat as Nyota and myself ran toward the kid. "Hey! Sweetie!" We were able to get close enough to hear the kid still screaming for his mom and we carefully walked up the steps, kneeling down to comfort the 'crying' child. "Sweetie, what have they done to you?" From my kneeling position I glared up at the nearest man, rearing my head back and slamming my forehead against his in anger. "What have you done to him!"

I was able to daze the guy as I watched my target attempt to escape into the building, and I quickly followed him inside. The two of us struggling as I attempted to grab for the gun, bringing my body close to prevent him from shooting either myself or Nyota. When I saw his hand loosen on the gun I took the opportunity and yanked the weapon away and knocked him with the butt of the gun. Successfully knocking him out.

"Ally!" Nyota came up from the steps practically dragging the other man along. "These guys are heavy."

"Bring him inside, quick." I ushered and when his feet were through the door, I took a glance around to see if we were noticed. "Thanks kid."

"No problem, Boss." The kid smiled as I closed the door behind me.

"Come on," I urged as we carefully and quietly, snuck our way further into the building. "set phaser to stun. Any guy we come across, don't give them the opportunity to call for backup."

I knew very well where Krako's office was and as we made our way close to his office I saw two more men were stationed just outside.

I nodded to Nyota and the two of us took aim at the two men, shooting them in the back and watched as their bodies collapsed onto the floor unconscious.

"Well!" Krako's voice startled us as we looked up to see him walking down the flight of stairs. "Ain't this nice? I was wonderin' how I was goin' to get you back, and here you deliver yourselves!" Krako folded his arms over his chest as he took a glance at Nyota. "Who's your friend, DeLuca?"

"I think you've got it reversed, Mister Krako." I announced.

"Naw, I ain't, lady." Krako shook his head, a smug smile permanent on his face. "Put down your heaters."

I felt my stomach drop at the sound of a loud click came from behind us, it was a familiar sound, and I could only let out a sigh.

 _ **"** **Captain-"**_ "It's okay, our hands are over our heads..." I ordered Nyota. "that was the sound of a machine gun bolt being pulled back."

Krako smiled as he came over to where we stood, reaching over to confiscate our communicator and phaser.

"Mister Krako, I don't," I watched nervously as he started shaking both of our heaters, phasers, aiming it anyway and anywhere he decided and I feared not for our lives, but for the damage he could potentially do due to his inexperience handling such advanced weaponry.

"So this is the fancy heater, huh?" Krako asked before looking at us expectantly. "How does it work?"

"I'm trying to tell you, Mister Krako, that this is bigger than you, Okmyx, or anyone." I warned as Krako looked back at me with a sneer.

"The only thing I want you to tell me is how it works." Krako said and when I looked behind him I came up with a great idea to get him isolated.

"Can you trust your men, Mister Krako?" I asked as I nodded to Nyota.

"Of course I can!" Krako defended.

"One of those weaponry can make a man a pretty big boss, you know." I planted the seed of doubt, hoping that Krako would see reason and take us to talk alone.

"I either trust 'em, or they're dead." Krako said before looking unsure of his statement, glancing down at our phasers, then back to his men. Taking just a second to think about it before motioning toward his office. "Let's go in here and talk about it."

Nyota came up beside me, bumping my shoulder with a smile on her face as we followed Krako into his office.

"Now we got no busy little eyes to worry about." Krako assured before I scoffed.

"We don't have time to show you how to play with toys, Mister Krako." _**"Toys?"**_ I smiled as I snatched back our phasers. "Why do you think we're here for, to get a cut of your deal? Forget it! That's..." What lingo have I heard people use before that they would understand? I needed to keep improvising, that's what Jim would do right? God, if only Jim was here to handle this. But, I must be confident if we want this to work. "peanuts to an outfit like the, uh, Federation. Right?"

"Right." Nyota nodded her head as I handed her back her phaser.

"Now, look, Krako, we're takin' over the whole ball of wax. Now, you cooperate with us, and maybe...we'll cut you in for a piece of the action." I said before Krako looked to be contemplating my deal.

"I thought you guys had laws, no interference." Krako stated.

"Who's interferin'?" I shrugged my shoulder. "We're takin' over, and if you cooperate, you would be bigger than Okmyx." I pointed to Krako as I made my way over to his desk, easing myself down into his chair. "Now, look here Krako, the planet is being taken over by the Federation, but it's too much of a hassle to keep comin' back here and wastin' our muscle. We have bigger fish to fry. So, what we do is we help one guy take over the planet. He pulls the strings, and then we pull his." I leaned back into his chair, crossing one of my leg over the other, propped my elbows on his arm rests and laced my fingers together. I saw Nyota attempt to stifle her smile and I couldn't help the pompous smile that surfaced. "I want you to be my guy Krako."

"What's your cut?" Krako asked.

"As long as you're being cut in? Who cares." I animatedly sighed. "Course, if you don't want a piece...there's always Bela Okmyx."

"All right, it's a deal." Krako agreed, though a bit begrudgingly as he made his way over to the mantel. "Call your ship, bring down your boys and...whatever else you need."

* * *

 _ **"** **DeLuca to Enterprise."**_ Ally's voice came through from Nyota's station, and the boys present finally let out a sigh of relief at hearing their Second Officer's voice.

"Enterprise. This is Jim, Ally!" Jim smiled as he was the first to pick up the transmission.

 _ **"** **All right, Kirk, we made a deal with Krako."**_ Ally's voice suddenly changed, sounding almost like that Okmyx fellow.

' _Why's she talking that way?'_ Leonard mouthed to Jim, who urged his friend to keep quiet.

"Uh...we did, ma'am?" Jim played along.

 _ **"** **Yeah. We're ready to make the hit. We're takin' over the whole planet, as soon as you get ready."**_ Ally said.

"Give it here." Khan ordered as Jim pushed him away.

"Go away." Jim shushed before going back to Ally. "We are….Captain?"

 _ **"** **Sure! We can trust Krako, but we don't have any choice, you know what I mean?"**_ Ally said. _**"He's standin' about 12 feet in front of me, all ready to be our pal. Of course, Kirk, I'd like to show him the ship just to show him that we're-we're on the level. But you know how it is."**_

' _Notify the transporter room.'_ Jim mouthed to Spock, who nodded his head in confirmation.

 _ **"** **Kirk, we'll need phasers to equip every one of Krako's men. We'll need advisors and troops to back him up on the hit. You got all that, Kirk?"**_ Ally asked.

"Yes, Captain. We're preparing everything. It'll be ready when you give the word." Jim said as he motioned for Khan and Leonard to prepare to make their way down to the transporter room.

 _ **"** **You may begin, Mister Kirk."**_ Ally gave the approval, though just as Jim was going to ask what was going on Ally had cut off communication.

"Ally? Allyson?" Jim tried to reconnect, and when he got nothing he looked toward Leonard.

"What the hell is going on?" Leonard asked only for Jim to shake his head

"Let's head down and find out for ourselves." Jim said as Khan, Leonard, and Spock walked into the lift and made their way down to the transporter room.

"How-how'd I get here? What-what happened?" A gravelly voice was heard the moment the four men entered the transporter, and inside was a middle aged man who looked around the room in confusion. When his eyes settled on Jim he had marched right off the platform and right up to Jim. "You-you must be that Kirk fella that DeLuca was talking to. I wanna know what happened!"

"That's what we want to know." Khan growled as he stepped around Jim and forcefully pushed who they assumed was Krako back, the mobster stumbling over his own feet at the sheer force that was being used. "Tell us what is going on down on Sigma Iotia II."

"You can't do this to me!" Krako yelled. "I got rights!"

"You got nothing. You mind your place, or you'll be swimming with the fishes." Jim stated as he came up to stand beside Khan. "Now you tell us exactly what's going on down there."

* * *

"Where are they?" Carol demanded, it was taking too long for Allyson and Nyota to simply go over and grab Krako. "They should've been back by now."

"Knowing Krako," Okmyx started to cackle. "he'll probably send them back on a blotter."

"I'm afraid you're wrong, again." Nyota proclaimed the moment they entered the office with Allyson following not far behind.

"Listen, Okmyx, I'm getting tired of this little game of patty-cake with you penny ante operators." Allyson said as she trained her gun on Okmyx, using her gun and pushing the man back to his desk.

"Who you calling a penny ante operator?" Okmyx took offense as Allyson watched Okmyx trip and fall back into his chair.

"I'm calling you a penny ante operator!" Ally said before motioning for Nyota to cover him with her gun. "Here's what's happenin' doll, the Federation's moving in. We're taking over this planet. You play ball, we'll cut you in for a piece of the pie. You don't? Then you'll be wearing cement overshoes. Understood?"

"Yeah, sure. Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Okmyx was quick to agree, quite fearful of Allyson's threat. After outsmarting his men, and escaping Krako's lair...TWICE. He knew these women weren't your average broads. They were a force to be reckoned with. "All you had to do was explain it to me."

"Yeah, that's the spirit, ya know...I like you Okmyx, always have." Allyson smiled before opening her communicator. "DeLuca to Enterprise."

 _ **"** **Enterprise. Scott here, ma'am."**_ Hearing Scotty's voice caught Allyson by surprise, but she tried her best not to show it. This job would be much easier with Scotty manning the console.

"You got Krako on ice?" Allyson asked.

 _ **"** **A-aye, he's here."**_ Scotty replied. _**"Mad enough to chew neutronium, but behaving himself. Thanks to a certain...augment shaking him down."**_

"O.K., doll, cool him until I flag you." I said.

 _ **"** **Flag me?"**_ Scotty was legitimately confused, so was Allyson if she were honest, Allyson was just imitating what she'd seen in old movies!

"Keep him there until I send for him." Allyson mumbled before taking a glance to Okmyx. "We're going to make some old-style phone calls from this locale, so you locate the man on the other end of the blower and give him a ride to this flop."

 _ **"** **...what?"**_ Scotty asked as Allyson attempted not to hit her head with the communicator. It was getting harder and harder to keep this charade up.

"Oh!" Allyson grumbled in frustration. "Put Jim on the line!" Allyson whispered harshly and from the other line Scotty had grumbled about Allyson speaking in tongue before Jim's voice came through.

 _ **"** **Captain?"**_ Jim asked.

"You tell Scotty, we're going to make some old-style phone calls from this locale, locate the man on the other end of the blower and give him a ride to this flop." Allyson repeated. "Can do, toots?"

 _ **"** **She said to find the man on the other end of the phone and transport him to her coordinates!"**_ Jim repeated to Scotty.

 _ **"** **How in bloody hell did you understand that! I cannae understand a damn thing she's sayin'!"**_ Scotty continued to grumble even as he came back on the line. _**"Can do, Captain. Standing by."**_

"Okmyx, get on the blower and call the other bosses." Allyson ordered just as Okmyx reached out for his glasses.

"I sure don't know what you think you're talkin' about." Okmyx commented, Allyson silently agreed, she didn't know what she was sprouting either.

"I'm giving the orders here, Okmyx." Allyson threatened just as Okmyx got on the phone, dialing the number before he started to speak.

"Hello. Hello?" Okmyx started to speak.

"Scotty?" Allyson brought her communicator close to her mouth as Okmyx continued to speak. _**"** **Scott here."**_ "Lock in and energize."

"Yeah, you bet your life, I've got a lot of nerve. What ya gonna do about it!" Okmyx yelled and just in front of Okmyx's mantel, a man dressed completely in a black suit started to materialize before our eyes, still holding his hand up to his ear as if he was still talking to Okmyx through the phone.

"Coming over there with a couple of my boys and we-" The man suddenly realized that he was not in his own office anymore, he took a glance around to see Carol with her gun pointed at Okmyx's men and when he finally comprehended where he was he started to whimper and...cry? "Mother!"

Nyota went over and pointed the gun at their new guest, who frantically reached into his coat to pull out his gun and handed it over to Nyota.

"Hey, Captain, that ain't bad." Okmyx was impressed and Allyson couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"Keep dialing, Okmyx." Allyson advised.

* * *

"Well Ally," Nyota attempted to yell above the loud commotion that was going on around the billiard table. "we've gathered all the top bosses, now they won't stop screaming at each other!"

"It would take a miracle to get all these men on the same page." Carol leaned over to my ear.

"More improvising I suppose…" I said as I lifted myself up onto the billiard table and started to scream just above the noise. "All right! That's enough! I want silence!" When the noise finally died down, and I had everyone's attention on me my nerves suddenly started to kick in. For the first time I had no support like I usually did, but in this situation I had to power through. Any sign of weakness in front of these men and we can kiss negotiations goodbye. "You lot listen 'ere, the Federation's taking over, whether you like it or not. You people, you've been running this planet like a...piecework factory. From now on, it's going to be under one roof, understand? You're goin' to run it like a-like a business." I looked at all the bosses, and the henchmen that were gathered. "And that means you're going to make a profit." At the prospect of money, it seemed like everyone could agree on that.

"And what's your percentage?" The first Boss we transported asked.

"I'm cutting the Federation in for 40%." I went over to the man and squatted in front of him, pointing my gun at him to try and go against me. "You got any objections?"

"Yeah!" The man argued back, catching me off guard. "I hear a lot of talk, but all I see here is you and a couple of your girls. Girls! We're being pushed around by women! I don't see no Federation. Just a couple of girls playing with the big boys."

"Listen! They got a ship. I know, I was there!" Krako intervened.

"Wait a minute." Okmyx interjected. "Wait a minute! Tepo's got a point. All we've ever seen is them."

"You're not gonna believe my eyes!" Krako started to argue, causing more chaos to ensue and I could only sigh.

"There's too many voices here!"

"Let me say something!" Krako lifted his hand up just as I was about to call order in this room. "I only saw 6 guys on that ship. Maybe there ain't no more."

We were starting to lose this fight, the tables were turning and not in our favor as I sighed and looked to Krako. "There are over 400 guys up there."

"That's your story, lady." Krako glared up at me and just as we were about to argue about it more, gunfire started to echo in the streets below bringing our attention elsewhere.

"Hey, it's my boys." Krako proclaimed as the whole group that had surrounded the table ran over to the nearby window.

"My boys will put you down." Okmyx argued.

"Wanna bet?" Krako said and just as our guards were down he had grabbed for Carol's gun and pointed it right at her. "One move out of you two girls, and I'll drill 'er. Give me the hardware."

"Hey, that's great, Krako." Okmyx, surprisingly, complemented Krako. Sure! They decide to cooperate now! "Now we got hostages again. We can make a deal with the feds up there."

They had ushered us closer to the window, and outside we saw men firing at each other...and for what? Because a book told them that this is how they should live their life?

"Are you kiddin'? This one's all mine. From now on, nobody's goin' no place." Krako stated as he came up beside me. "I'm goin' to be the Big Boss in this here territory."

"Now, wait a minute fellas." I glared at the gun that was pointed at my face. "Get that heater down! Don't you want to take a look at what you're goin' to fight?"

"I already seen it. You're nothin', fed." Krako smirked.

"All right, but at least let me call my ship one last time and say goodbye." I faked, and thankfully Krako was a reasonable guy...but gullible.

"Well, all right. Go ahead." Krako nodded. "Don't get smart."

"Hello, Kirk. This is DeLuca." I called up to the Enterprise.

 _ **"** **Enterprise. Kirk here."**_ Jim responded.

"Jim, put the ship's phasers on stun. Fire a burst in a one-block radius around these coordinates." I pleaded that Jim would just agree without question.

" _ **Right away, ma'am. Kirk out."**_ Bless him, I'm sure everyone is confused on the ship, and we'll be sure to answer all questions as soon as we get back.

Just as we cut off communication, the sweet sound of the ship's phaser greeted our ears and down below the men that were fighting all fell to the ground. Unconscious.

"Gee, that's some trick." Krako complemented.

"Hey, didjya see that?" Okmyx said from above me.

"They're not dead, just unconscious." I nodded as I turned around to walk away from the window. "But they might just as well have been that way if we wanted them to."

"Ok, Ok, DeLuca, so we get the message." Okmyx was the first to follow me, walking with me each step of the way back to the billiard table. "Now, what was this syndicate deal you were talking about?"

"Uh...well, she was talking about a percentage." Tepo stuttered as he pushed his way through.

"I was talking about both." I turned back to address the group.

"Ok. A syndicate makes sense to me." Okmyx pointed both his thumbs to him. "I'm a peaceful man at heart, but I'm sick and tired of all these hits." Okmyx turned to his right, addressing Krako and Tepo. "I hit Krako. Krako hits Tepo. Tepo hits me. There's too many Bosses. We can't get anything done. I was thinking, if there was just one-maybe somebody like you DeLuca as the top boss-then we can get things done."

"Tepo, answer me this, does me being a woman still bother you?" I looked at the man standing to the left of Okmyx.

"No, Boss." Tepo quickly answered, standing as rigid as a plank of wood and I reached out to pat the man on the shoulder to relax.

"Gentlemen, I am honored, but ya see, the Federation can't get connected with a smalltime operation like this." I looked back at the three men in front of me. "No, I was thinking, Bela, you would be the top Boss." Bela seemed to puff up at hearing such a news as he straightened out his suit. What can I say, I liked Bela...he kinda grows on ya, and he's smart. "Krako, you'd be his Lieutenant, his right hand man, his First Officer like Uhura is to me. And Tepo, his left hand man, his Second Officer." That should satisfy all the big bosses. "As for the rest of you-I don't wanna hear any trouble from the rest of ya...cause you'll have to answer to the Federation." I looked at the group gathered behind. "We'll be back every year to collect our cut."

"And look, you figure maybe 40% is enough?" Tepo asked.

"Yeah, I think 40% is sufficient." I said as I faked looking to Carol and Nyota for their opinion, knowing full well that we were just playing the game here to satisfy these guys, so long as they unified this planet we were content.

"It's reasonable. It sounds reasonable." Okmyx held his hand out for Tepo to keep silent before turning to his fellow bosses. "That sound reasonable to you?"

A chorus of agreement followed and I couldn't help but smile.

"Then if we have an accord, Mister Okmyx. Let's break out some of your drinks…" I handed each man a glass. "and celebrate the syndicate."

I poured them a drink as I watched them smile in satisfaction.

"You know DeLuca." Okmyx cut in as he reached around me for another glass, thrusting it into my hand and pouring me a drink much to my defiance. "Yous feds may not want to get involved in this small time operation, but I tell ya this. You'll always be remembered amongst my boys."

"Huh?" I asked as he reached out to tap his glass to mine.

"What we've tried to accomplish for years, you broads-" When I gave Okmyx a look he quickly backtracked. "you ladies did in a day. It's...admirable. So, DeLuca-" Okmyx looked to both Krako and Tepo who bought their cups against mine. "whether you like it or not, you're family. You need a hit done? The syndicate's got your back." Okmyx, Krako, and Tepo clicked their glasses to mine before taking a drink, and when I didn't drink Okmyx gave me a certain look that seemed to scream: _Drink or we'll take it as an insult._

So I drank it, every last drop of it.

* * *

"Jim, this isn't funny!" I scolded the man who couldn't stop laughing after we had retold all that had happened the second we beamed down onto Sigma Iotia II. "I have a lot of explaining to do to Starfleet why each year a starship will be sent to collect our 'cut'!" Jim just wouldn't stop laughing as I stood there, still dressed in the pinstripe suit that Okmyx insisted I keep on as we were beaming back onto the Enterprise. And! To make things worse, he'd given me my own submachine gun and handgun that I had taken the magazine out of without the Bosses realizing it because he said family can't be caught dead without them 'heaters'. "Seriously Jim, I think I'm part of the syndicate after what happened…"

"Never pegged you to join the Mafia, Ally." Jim joked once more, and when I sent a glare in his direction he sucked in his lips. "You sounded like you had quite an...an adventure." Jim said through his fits of giggles. "It was an honest mistake on all parties, the transmission was too distorted and we had assumed that you were going to be greeted by a 'no men allowed' type of planet."

"Except we were greeted by guns and the roaring 20's." Nyota sighed.

"You three handled it very well under the circumstances," Jim smiled. "great job on the improvisation skills, Ally, cleaned up the contamination, united the planet. Would've loved a piece of the action. Now the master becomes the student."

"Shaddup." I scolded as Jim continued to laugh with Carol joining in. "Being around thems guys I can't stop talking like this!"

"You love it." Jim laughed. "Now get outta 'ere and outta them clothes before people think you're gonna put a hit on 'em."

"Watch it, Kirk." I playfully glared as I turned to make my way to the lift. "Before I put a bag on **you**."

* * *

After the whole ordeal with the Iotians, the days passed rather quickly, and just as Nyota had said, the holidays were soon upon us. Jim, just like he had done for Thanksgiving, had the ship decorated to make it feel like home. A comfort that we all honestly missed. The food was themed for all types of holidays that people celebrated aboard the ship so everyone was included, there was streamers hanging on all the archways, and in one of our larger observation lounges he had gotten Scotty to rig it up so that it imitated snow, there was even a tree that Jim had encouraged all of us to decorate when we had the chance, adding on little pieces of what reminded us of home. Even the temperature was dropped to imitate the cold season! Much to Spock's displeasure.

Much to the disagreement of Spock and myself, Jim had scheduled all of our friends to work on the same shift so that we could celebrate the holidays together the moment we got off our shift. The only time that we would be interrupted would be if there was an emergency or an attack on the Enterprise.

With the help of Nyota and Carol, who decided to raid my closet just before the party, they took out this dress I had bought a while back at one of the markets at a Federation space station. Even if I'd rarely wear it, I bought it simply because it caught my eyes, and I'd find some sort of use or occasion to wear it. It was a beautiful red off shoulder high low dress with a white lace panel that resembled connecting falling snowflakes and white t-strap pumps to bring the outfit together...as said by Carol. We also did our hair! I wanted my hair to simply fall in waves instead of keeping it up like I usually did for my shifts.

"It's nice to be in something other than our uniform for once." Nyota smiled as she sat at one of the tables, drinking actual hot chocolate! "Honestly, I don't know how he does this."

"He's Jim," I smiled. "he can do anything once he's made up his mind. He really wanted us to feel like we were back home on Earth."

"Is it wise for all of us to be here?" Carol asked, being the last to join us as she came to sit beside me. "I mean all the senior officers are here."

"Is anything he does wise?" Nyota giggled. "The officers on the bridge know to contact us as soon as there's an emergency. Jim wanted us to enjoy ourselves."

"That dress looks beautiful on you, Ally." Carol complemented. "I can't wait to see the look on Leonard and Khan's face when they see you."

"It's all thanks to you two. You two look just as beautiful in your dresses." I smiled, feeling my face slightly flush. "I see Jim and Spock, you two should go to them."

"We can wait until Khan and Leonard arrive." Nyota offered and I only shook my head.

"It's okay I'm sure they'll be here soon. Go enjoy yourselves." I assured them.

"Remember what we talked about." Nyota winked at me before getting up to leave, grabbing for Carol. "Happy Holidays Ally."

"Happy Holidays you two." I waved goodbye and I was left alone at my table, using the warm cup of cocoa to warm my hands as I waited patiently for my Mates to arrive.

"I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me," Leonard's voice reached my ears as I saw a body take a seat to my right. "what's a beautiful lady like yourself doing sitting alone?"

"I was waiting for my Mates to arrive." I smiled as I turned to look at Leonard, noticing that he was wearing a simple white collared shirt, blue jeans and a black blazer.

"We didn't get the memo to dress up." Khan's voice came from my left and I saw he was wearing a black turtleneck sweater with grey jeans.

"Well, don't you two look dashing." I complemented as I nodded toward Jim's direction. "There was no memo, I mean...Jim's wearing one of those ugly Christmas sweaters. And the girls thought it would be nice to dress up for the occasion."

"Sorry for making you wait." Leonard apologized.

"You look beautiful in that dress, Allyson." Khan complemented.

"I got this nice little number a while back." I said before Khan sighed.

"You don't have to continue talking that way." Leonard laughed.

"I can't stop!" I pouted which only caused Leonard to laugh louder as Khan could only smile. "It sometimes comes out…"

The three of us sat together in peaceful silence, Christmas tunes playing over the speakers in the lounge. Our friends laughing, eating, and drinking, mingling with the crowd that was gathered for the celebration...and then my eyes settled on Nyota and Carol. They were looking at their Mates, Jim and Spock, with so much love. The occasional laugh and smiles that would randomly spark up and the connection they shared compared to the occasional hook ups that I've seen aboard our ship.

'I wonder if I look that happy...' I thought as I couldn't help the content sigh that escaped. "My family never celebrated the holidays, said there was no need to include such silly traditions to exist alongside our own traditions, it was pointless. But every year, around this time, I'd secretly ask 'Santa' for the same thing every Christmas, and even when I grew out of that phase I still wished for the same thing."

"And what would that be?" Khan asked as

"To fit in, to find a place where I belong." I sighed. "I got my wish, being assigned to the Enterprise...I found a place that accepts me. People who would watch out for me as I would them." I reached out for both of their hands. "To find people who care about me, a family to smile with, to drink and eat with. To not be...alone." Leonard turned his hand over to squeeze my hand as I felt Khan's slip out from under my hand before feeling it engulf my own. "I love you both, and I will cherish...every moment we have together and with this crew of insane, stubborn, and passionate people."

"Hey! Turtle doves!" Jim called as I saw him motion for us to join them, a drink in his hand. "If you're done being loners, come join us or I'll start singing really off key to annoy you!"

"We'll be right there!" I yelled back before looking to Leonard, and then to Khan before getting up and tugging on their hands to stand. "Come on, can't keep our friends waiting." I started to drag the two behind me as we went to join our crewmates. "I'm so thankful to have you two as my Mates."

The second the date changed, a chorus of 'Merry Christmas' and 'Happy Holidays' erupted all around. I was too busy enjoying the moment, that I hadn't realized that Leonard and Khan hadn't joined in.

"Ally," Leonard's arm snaked around my waist as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Allyson," Khan whispered and when I turned my head at the sound of my name Khan was already leaning down, bringing my hand up to his lips as he kissed the back of my hand.

**"Merry Christmas."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Read:  
> Hello everyone! I decided to add this at the very end! Firstly, there are so many wonderful episodes from TOS that I wish I could include, but the story must go on and these specific episodes were already chosen way before we finished Into Darkness. Once I finish Beyond and complete this story I may add more episodes as extra chapters. Secondly, I'm going to take a week (or two, but for sure a week) off to celebrate the holidays with my family and to catch up on writing more chapters to this story along with my other project.
> 
> To everyone, from me to you: Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
> 
> This story is based on Star Trek TOS S2E17 (A Piece of the Action). This is a favorite of mine simply because I love roaring 20's type vibe, and even if none of the men was included, I was excited to have the women be the spotlight haha. Just as the men can be powerful, the women of the Enterprise crew can be just as strong.


	29. No Rest for the Weary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021 everyone! Or as happy as we can be lol I decided to take two weeks off just to relax and enjoy family time to the fullest. Thank you for all the love and support for the last chapter and...I hope you like this one too! We are now about to venture into Star Trek: Beyond! We've hit 2K views on here OoO!! Yay!!
> 
> PS. So...this was supposed to go up yesterday, but fanfiction was down and I tend to upload on every site at the same time. Even the week before I heard the site was having problems. -x- Sorry about that! But now it seems like everything is okay lol.
> 
> Slight Trigger Warning: Mention of mercy killing and drinking. I thought I should put this here just in case.

"Commander DeLuca," Spock had called out, catching my attention while in passing. I had stopped and looked at my friend in curiosity considering my path was leading me toward the bridge while he looked to be retiring for the day. "I wish to speak with you, if you are free."

"I was just about to hand over some paperwork to the Captain," I faltered in my steps the second I saw Spock had a rather intense look in his eyes. Something was bothering him, I could tell, and I shook my head before going over to stand beside Spock. "it's not an emergency, it can wait."

"Please follow me." Spock nodded his head in the direction of his quarters and I simply followed, the two of us walking in silence. Greeting any passing ensigns or lower ranking officers that nodded to us along the way.

When we had reached Spock's quarters, the slight heat coming from inside his room greeted me the second he had opened the door as he stepped aside for me to enter first.

I stepped through the threshold with Spock following soon after and I heard the door close behind us as I watched Spock walk over to his desk. As he took a seat in his chair his ever rigid form had faltered as he slouched further into his chair. Whatever it is that he wanted to speak to me about it had to be bothering him quite a bit because he had suddenly let out a long, deep sigh. He looked to be contemplating what to say or how to say what was troubling him.

"Speak your mind, Spock." I said, a familiar phrase that I hadn't voiced in a while when I needed him to feel comfortable enough to confide in me what was bothering him. I needed him to remember that he could speak to me about anything without judgment.

"Please have a seat Allyson." Spock mutters, a complete contrast to how he usually spoke to me and without question I went over to sit beside him instead of across from him. A familiar action from our academy days.

"Do you wish that we sit in silence?" I asked curiously after watching Spock inwardly debate with himself before shaking his head, turning his eyes to hold contact with my own.

"No, this is something that silence…will not solve." Spock stated. "It has something to do with Nyota."

"A…SoulMate question?" I asked and once again Spock shook his head.

"As you know with the destruction of Vulcan, our species have become…endangered." Spock slowly spoke. "I…for the first time find that I am unsure of what to do with this predicament I'm in."

"Unsure about what?" I asked.

"Vulcans face extinction, Ambassador Spock has done his part on finding a suitable planet to establish a Vulcan colony, the result? The creation of New Vulcan." Spock sighed. "I feel like I owe a debt to my species, to do my part and help rebuild my race."

"You…" I wasn't sure if I was hearing him correctly, and I saw Spock fidget in his seat due to the topic we were talking about. "by rebuild, do you mean…"

"Reproduce, to keep the Vulcan species going." Spock sighed. "Being in Starfleet, being far away from my people, it is doing nothing to help further Vulcan's survival."

"Children…" I breathed out. "Is that…what feels right? Or is this the logical part of you speaking?"

"Both. I know what should be done, yet I am conflicted." Spock said. "I feel there is much I can accomplish if I stay in Starfleet, yet I know I have a duty to my people. And...I do not think I can part with Nyota."

"Have you spoken to Nyota about this?" I asked and Spock instantly shook his head.

"I'm afraid that she would not understand." Spock admitted. "An argument is bound to come about even if I give a logical reason."

"She will lash out in anger." I honestly responded. Knowing full well how my friend would react. "You both are SoulMates, honestly Nyota wouldn't understand since you both are meant to be together, and even if she realizes it's logical...it's only natural for her to be upset. If Leonard or Khan said that they would want to have children with someone else who wasn't me, though I don't really want children, I'd be hurt as well. I'd rain hell on them both."

"And I do not wish to hurt Nyota." Spock looked so conflicted that it caught me completely off guard. My ever stoic friend was lost, for the first time...he didn't have a clear solution to his problem. "What…what do you think I should do Allyson?"

"I-I think you should have a talk with Nyota. Even if the result is what to be expected, no secrets should be kept between the two of you. If you are feeling this way, then you two should talk about it." I shook my head. "I can't really tell you what to do Spock, this is something I think only you can decide on…what you think feels right." I reached over, wanting to grab his hand, before thinking otherwise knowing how intimate that would seem to a Vulcan. "Whatever you plan, whether you decide to resign from Starfleet to uphold a duty you feel toward your people or stay here to assist in Starfleet's mission I will support you. And I will listen to any concern, worries, or woes that go through that large mind of yours. I will continue to be a shoulder you can lean on, even if we're lightyears away. Though I will say, I will greatly miss you my friend."

"Thank you Allyson, I have much to consider. But I agree, I must speak to Nyota about what to do going forward, with our relationship and our future. I will leave it up to her to decide what she feels would be best for her." Spock seemed to consider my advice before slowly nodding his head. "Would it be selfish of me…to hope that we could make this work?"

"Being selfish is a human characteristic, it's in our DNA. There's nothing wrong with that." I said. "Would you like to be alone to think things through?"

"I would like to, yes." Spock nodded his head. I reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before standing up to leave, but just as I was about to exit his quarters Spock had called back to me. "Allyson…" I turned back around to Spock and saw the faintest smile grace his features. "thank you..."

"We're friends, Spock…family. You don't need to 'thank' me. We have to look out for each other. Though I'm not Nyota, I'm the second best in knowing and understanding you." I assured with a shake of my head. "My door is always open should you ever need someone to talk to when you feel you can't express yourself or your concerns to anyone."

* * *

I was just about to turn in for the day, tonight I would be alone since Leonard and Khan were going to work opposite shifts from my own for the next few days. I'll admit, it's a bit lonely, but having a few nights to focus on myself is nice.

That is…until my datapad lit up.

I had an incoming message from Nyota. The message that greeted me was simple and in all caps reading: **EMERGENCY: CODE RED! MY ROOM. BRING ALCOHOL AND ICE CREAM!**

You see, Nyota and Carol had developed this system of color coded secret messages. Green was simple, a much needed sleepover to relax, enjoy each others company and have fun. Blue was just a rant session while we talked about anything and everything that was stressing us out. Yellow was that someone was upset and needed just quality time and comfort from girlfriends. Red? That was never used before, didn't think it was ever going to be used, but it was a code that meant trouble in paradise…for everyone.

I responded to Nyota's message that was sent to both Carol and myself. Told the two that I would bring the drinks, the ice cream and meet them at Nyota's room in 20 minutes before jumping into action the second I sent it out. Whatever was the problem must be intense if Nyota needed drinks and ice cream, and I can only assume what it could be.

I grabbed whatever alcohol I had and placed it in my bag before making a quick trip to the mess hall to grab some ice cream from the food replicator. I wasn't sure what to get so I requested a tub of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream.

As I made my way to Nyota's quarters I ran into Carol who was carrying three empty wine glasses.

"Do you have an inkling of what the emergency could be?" I asked Carol as the two of us started walking side by side, Carol simply shook her head.

"No," Carol let out a small, muffled yawn. "did your notification wake you up too?"

"I was just about to turn in for the night." I confessed as I motioned to the bag I was carrying. "I wasn't sure what to grab, so I just randomly took stuff from my room along with getting the simple flavors of ice cream."

"I hope Nyota's okay." Carol sighed.

When we reached Nyota's quarters I only had to knock once before the door slid open and we were greeted by the tear stained face of Nyota who immediately reached out and pulled us into her room. When the door had shut, Nyota had clung onto Carol and started to cry.

"Console Nyota while I get the drinks ready." I whispered to Carol, while taking the glasses out of her hands, who immediately led Nyota to the couch in her room.

"Nyota, what happened?" I heard Carol ask in alarm as I went over to pop open one of the bottles I took out of my bag, pouring it into the three glasses.

"Why do men have to be so…infuriating!" I heard Nyota angrily rant. "I just had a talk with Spock the other day. Basically, he said that he thinks it's his duty to reproduce for the sake of his species."

"Excuse me?" Carol asked in hopes that she had heard our friend wrong. It was just as I suspected when I heard Nyota sigh.

"Due to the possible extinction of Vulcan…Spock feels like he's not contributing to rebuilding his species." Nyota sighed. "And I understand that, but…just the thought of him being with another woman is just…"

I heard a muffled sound of something solid coming into contact with something soft and I looked to see that Nyota had buried her face into one of her couch cushions. I carefully took the glasses in my hand and brought the three over to the couch, placing mine on the cocktail table before handing one over to Carol and gently prying the cushion away from Nyota to hand her her glass.

"I'm sorry Nyota, I must confess…Spock had told me about his conflicting feelings, but in the end he was worried about hurting you. He didn't want to…" I reached out to grab her free hand as I sat on the ground in front of the two girls. "I told him I couldn't really help him make that decision, and that he should have a talk with you about his concerns since SoulMates in my opinion should be open and honest with each other."

"We did talk about it, and Spock let me decide what the future would hold for us. So, I put our relationship on hold." I saw tears start to accumulate in the corner of her eyes as she reached up to the necklace around her neck. "I made that decision…yet it hurts so much. Like, more than it should you know?"

"I think that's due to you both being SoulMates, the thought of separating from someone you're meant to be with is an impossible concept to cope with. Leaving your SoulMate seems illogical and your Mark is telling you you're making a mistake…so to speak so the pain is doubled. Your Mark doesn't take into consideration the personal conflicts that we go through. Which is why most of the time, when a SoulMate dies the one left behind can't fathom the thought of loving another even if another Mark appears to tell them there is someone else. Kind of like lovebirds." I squeezed Nyota's hand. "It's going to be hard being apart…but Carol and myself will be here to help you get through this."

"I did what I thought was right, I didn't want Spock to feel so torn so…I let him go." Nyota furiously tried to wipe the falling tears away as she took a large chug from her wine glass, downing it in one go. "This is so much worse than the normal breakups when you hook up with some random person."

"I suppose we all need this Code Red," Carol muttered, which Nyota immediately heard.

"What do you mean?" Nyota asked as Carol shook her head.

"No, this is for you, I'm just happy to have this little session between the three of us. I really needed this too." Carol silently confessed with a smile, though her smile seemed forced to me and I think Nyota noticed that too.

"Carol, this is a place where we can all talk things out and hope that after this we can feel just a little bit better about our problems." Nyota assured as she sniffled. "I think we all need this honestly."

"Well…you see...Jim seems to be a bit distant lately." Carol confessed as I watched her fiddle with the empty glass in her hand. "I've tried asking him if something was wrong, told him that he could always talk to me with whatever was on his mind, but…it only seems to push him further away."

"Has Jim talked to you about anything recently Ally?" Nyota asked and I shook my head.

"I have noticed that Jim seems a bit low on energy as of late, but he hasn't talked to me about anything." I confessed. "I'm sorry I can't help much with that Carol."

"No, I'm just concerned about him and I hope that everything is okay." Carol sighed.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what else I can do besides apologize." I felt a heavy weight on my chest at hearing what my two friends were going through. I patted their knees before getting up from my seat on the ground and smiled. "Let's try and cheer each other up, okay? I'll go get the ice cream. We're not working tomorrow so we can drink to forget our problems, eat as much ice cream as we want. I'll even put on some good music to dance the sadness away. Or! I can try and find a funny movie we can watch from our ships records. This'll be a problem free night! Only fun allowed." I went over to the freezer to grab the tubs of ice cream and three large spoons. "What do you say? Just like one of those 'girls only' parties I've seen in those teen flicks."

Nyota and Carol, thankfully, smiled as I eagerly went back to join them. Refilling their glasses as I opened the tubs of ice cream and handed them their own spoons.

"I can't really give much advice, I'm still very much inexperienced in the romance area, but!" I held my glass out to them. "I can try as much as I can with whatever is in my power to make my friends smile, feel better, and forget about their worries! At least for today."

"I agree." Carol smiled as she took her glass and clinked it to mine as we looked to Nyota, waiting for her to join us.

"Screw it." Nyota laughed as we clink our glasses together and knocked back the drink.

I made sure that we would have problem free night, Nyota and Carol were having fun and laughing after all the tears were shed. The more they drank the more they started to let out their anger and annoyance, before taking comfort in each other's presence. Carol would sometimes cry into my shoulder while Nyota would go on a ranting rampage. I simply sat and listened, agreeing or consoling whichever was leaning on me at the moment. They needed this night to just let out all their frustration however they pleased in their drunken state. Most of the time they were just randomly giggling as they let whatever music we had put on take over their bodies.

It was probably close to five in the morning when the two finally knocked out, I carefully led the two onto Nyota's bed and tucked them in. Making sure to leave two glasses of water on the nightstands and a trash bin on either side of the bed. Secretly, aside from the ice cream and the alcohol, I had brought along some crackers, bread, eggs, and bananas since I knew there was a possibility that we would be excessively drinking.

'I think these are good for hangovers…' I thought as I placed the contents on Nyota's kitchen counter before going over to open her bathroom doors. 'in the morning I'll make them some toast and eggs…'

Carol and Nyota were so immersed in enjoying their own drinks that they didn't notice that my glass remained full.

I didn't drink, I had to report to the bridge around lunch time for my shift, but I didn't want to tell them and risk dampening their mood.

* * *

Another day, another dollar. Isn't that how the saying goes? Today was uneventful to say the least, the usual clocking in and clocking out, except for some reason there was a slight tingle in the back of my head. I couldn't tell at the moment if it was coming from Khan or Leonard, but I know that it was growing more and more intense as the minutes passed by.

I was feeling a sense of stress, regret, depression, and I couldn't handle it anymore. It was preventing me from doing my job, so I had told Jim that I would be headed back to my quarters in concern to something extremely negative affecting either Leonard or Khan and it was bleeding back to me. I wanted to check on them before returning back to the bridge for my shift. Jim was kind enough to allow me some time off to check on them.

I quickly walked off the bridge and followed my instincts at this point, I could feel it getting stronger the closer I got to my shared quarters.

 _'Another one lost…'_ I suddenly heard in my head, and I knew that was not my own thoughts for I hadn't lost anyone. _'dammit! I'm supposed to be a doctor, and I couldn't do_ _ **anything**_ _!"_

I suddenly heard a glass violently shatter. In a panic I rushed into the room and saw exactly who I knew was behind this door the moment I heard the thoughts in my head.

There Leonard was, slumped over the bed and on the wall opposite of him I saw the shattered remains of what looked to be a glass bottle along with whatever was left inside dripping down the wall, accumulating all on the ground.

"Leonard…" I whispered to make my presence known and I saw him turn his head to me in surprise. I took note that his hair was a mess, eyes bloodshot and heavy bags under his eyes that revealed to me that he was barely sleeping like I had advised him to due to us working different shifts.

"Ally, I hadn't expected you to be back so soon..." Leonard breathed out as he quickly scrambled to his feet though he had wobbled the second he stood up, his legs unable to hold up the weight of his body as he went crashing to the ground.

"Leonard!" I yelled in alarm as I ran over to his side, picking him up and carefully moving him back over to the bed. My nose wrinkled, he reeked of alcohol, and I could only wonder just how long he had been drinking? "Leonard, what happened?"

"Nothing…" Leonard stubbornly grumbled as he curled his body in a fetal position in the center of the bed.

"It's not 'nothing' Leonard," I looked sadly at the back of my Mate. I gently crawled onto the bed beside him and sat beside his head, reaching out to flatten out his hair. "what happened my sweet Doctor?"

"It's nothing, Ally…" Leonard muttered, still not facing me and I could only sigh. I spread my fingers out, gently running my fingers through his hair. I watched as his whole body seemed to instantly relax into the bed. "it won't happen again, I just…needed a drink."

"I know sweetie." I assured as I continued to play with his hair.

I felt Leonard shift as he turned around and scooted closer to my body, burying his face into my lap as he wrapped his arm around my waist, or attempted to. I continued to run my fingers through his hair as my free hand moved over to rub his back in hopes to offer some form of comfort and warmth. From the man laying in my lap I heard a slight sniffle come from my Mate and at that tiny sound…it had broken my heart.

"You've had a rough day, it's okay. We all have them." I cooed down to Leonard, smiling as I heard him let out a hum in agreement and after a few minutes of the two of us in this position Leonard started to stir.

"Death is no stranger to those in the medical field…" Leonard mumbled. "yet, when it should be something possible and in my power to do so, it's frustrating when I don't make it in time. They would've had a son or daughter waiting for them to return, a spouse, and I have to notify them that they won't be coming home. They should've been going home if I had just acted in time…" I listened as Leonard spilled out whatever was troubling his mind. "I've done something terrible, Ally."

"You? Do something terrible?" I looked down at Leonard. "I can't see that happening."

"But I did Ally, I'm a monster! My father…" Leonard slurred, crying once again as he held on to me for dear life, he was choking on his words as he continued to talk, his tears returning as I felt a slight wetness on my legs. "my father was a great man, a strong man, he would've loved you Ally! But…he was in so much pain. He contracted pyrrhoneuritis. In three months he lost so much weight, bedridden, crippled, and…constantly in pain. No amount of painkillers worked. All my knowledge, all that I learned! And it wasn't enough, I still couldn't save him." His whole body started to shake, and I tried as much as I could to stay strong for him. Cooing and whispering encouraging words down to him while still continuing rubbing his back. "I did all that I could. He begged me to take his pain away…to let him go…to turn off his life support system."

"It's okay, Leonard, you don't have to tell me." It was hurting him, whatever happened today triggered all this pent up regret.

"I did as he asked, I was his son, a good son…I couldn't continue to watch him suffer." His body trembled, his voice wavered. "The support system kept him alive, but what kind of life was that?" Leonard took a deep breath, his grip around my waist tightening. "A few weeks later they had found a cure!" Leonard cried out. "If he had just waited, if I just waited! Maybe…"

"No one could have predicted that a cure would be found so quickly my sweet." I reached around to wrap my arms around him.

"After, everything just kept getting worse for me, that guilt…the regret bled into my marriage. I never even told my ex-wife why. I started to drink. I had hoped…that it would get rid of my pain." Leonard continued to confess. "I had lost so much, Ally…"

"You did…what you thought was right at that time." I assured Leonard as I reached down to bring his attention to me, his haze eyes filled with tears as I reached out to wipe them away. "Leonard, you don't need to hold onto this regret any longer by yourself, it will destroy you." I scooted lower into the bed as I lay down beside him, looking him in the eyes. I leaned forward to place a sweet and gentle kiss to his lips. "I'll always be here…to catch you when you fall. I will _**always**_ be here to listen when you need me. Nothing can take me away from you. You're going to be okay Leonard, everything's going to be okay, none of it was your fault."

Leonard had continued to cry, pulling me closer to him as I rested my forehead on his chest. And slowly, I heard his tears turn to sniffles, his grip around me loosened, and his breathing slow and even out. My Mate had cried himself to sleep.

When I knew he was in a deep sleep I slowly inched myself out of his grip and sat beside him, watching the peaceful expression on his face. I realized, with how much he had drunk, and how exhausted he may be he will sleep through my shift and may not remember all of this when he wakes up. But I will make sure to always remind him that he can come to me for comfort. That I will always make time for him and Khan when they need me.

'My dear, sweet, doctor.' I reached over to move some of his hair away from his eyes, his face scrunching up on contact before he settled down. I leaned down and placed a kiss to his forehead before getting up as quietly as I could. 'Sleep well my love, I'll be back as soon as I finish my shift.'

* * *

"Khan?" I called out to the man who I found standing alone, in the dark, in one of our ship's many observation decks that overlooked the vast expanse of space.

"Allyson." I saw Khan's silhouette turn, the natural light produced by the light of the stars highlighting half of his face and I noticed a solemn expression grace his immaculate features. "Hello my dear Commander."

"I thought that was you." I smiled as I walked forward, pulling up to stand just beside Khan. I saw his eyes following me before the two of us turned back to look out into space, admiring the dark beauty and unknown. The two of us continued to watch in silence as the stars passed by before I saw the sight movement come from my Mate.

"Was there something you needed from me Allyson?" Khan asked, almost in a whisper, and I simply shook my head.

"I was just taking a walk, and my feet just led me here." I said before slightly fidgeting in my spot as I turned my back toward the window. I leaned against the glass, my head leaning back as I turned to look at Khan, his eyes were trained forward as his head was held high. "Penny for your thoughts, Khan?"

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with Allyson." Khan said though it wasn't harsh, simply put? He sounded exhausted.

"Do you remember when you were first woken up, you were experiencing emotions that weren't yours? It goes both ways, Khan." I smiled up to him. "Concern, worry, guilt, a big ball of emotions that I know aren't mine, and I already checked on Leonard today. I know for a fact that these emotions don't belong to either of us. You-you know you can always come and talk to me." I reached out and grabbed for his hand. "What's going on in that big brain of yours?"

Khan, through half lidded eyes, glanced down from the corner of his eyes to me before turning to look back out the window.

"I'm contemplating the future." Khan confessed after a few seconds of silence. "Do you think, after our five year mission in space, that I've done all that I could to prove that I've changed? That people like me, who've only known war and rage, a weapon created only for destruction, can change?"

"You've made incredible progress compared to when I first met you." I honestly admitted. "There were situations you were put in that tested you, but every step of the way you've proved Starfleet wrong."

"…do you think it was enough for Starfleet to consider waking up my crew? To give me the opportunity to show them a better path, to assimilate them into this ever developing time? To…act proper in this time of peace?" Khan asked.

"I can't really speak for Starfleet," I leaned my head back, looking up at the ceiling. "but…if I was Starfleet, with all the logs from our ship? I would take it into consideration, maybe not wake them all up at once, but maybe a few at a time to help prepare your best. Then when you wake up more of your crew there would be more of your people to help influence and guide them to the new way of life."

"There are times, where I'm wracked with guilt." Khan continued. "Here I am awake, enjoying being on this mission with you, Allyson, by my side…and then I remember that while I'm relishing my time in space with this crew I forget that they're not my original crew." Khan sighed. "I've also been contemplating what would happen should that time come. When my crew is granted permission to finally leave their cryogenic sleep."

"Starfleet would honor their promise." I said so without thinking. "At least, I would hope they do, and if not then I will fight for them. There's no reason for them not to since you have held up your end of the agreement. They would find a suitable and sustainable planet for everyone to live on."

"And what would happen to us, Allyson?" Khan asked. "I can see starlight in your eyes, you love being in space. Serving on a starship." I saw Khan's finger twitch. "I'm conflicted, part of me wants to ask you to join me when the time comes…wishes for you to stay by my side even if McCoy must tag along. But another part of me knows that it would be unfair to ask such a thing from you, to give this up, when even I can see you have so much to do still."

"I don't let it get to me for very long, but I do think about it from time to time." Khan said after I hadn't answered. "And when I do, I look for a place to be alone to work through these conflicting emotions. I find staring at the vastness of space helps. I get to forget my constant worries here. I suppose…today I was more distressed than usual to have rippled through our bond for you to feel. And for that, Allyson, I apologize."

"Don't apologize Khan." I pushed off the window and closed the distance between the two of us, reaching out to link my arm with his. "It's okay to have these moments of weakness, not everyone can constantly stay strong and I don't expect you to be 24/7. You don't have to be sorry for…being human. I appreciate you telling me what's on your mind." I reached up, placing my hand on his cheek and gently turned Khan to look at me. "It doesn't make me think any less of you. We're Mates, if I can help you lessen the burden you think you should carry by yourself then I'd want you to talk to me."

Khan seemed to lean further into my touch as he let out a content sigh.

"We can never predict what could happen, but together we'll tackle the obstacles when we come to them." I stood on my toes and placed a kiss to his lips. "It's not healthy to constantly worry about the ever changing future. If we do, we can't enjoy the present and what we have now."

"All the terrible things I've done, and I was blessed to have you as a Mate." Khan closed his eyes, leaning forward and lightly bunting his forehead to mine. "Thank you Allyson for being…you."

"If you have another moment like this, you will come talk to me right?" I smiled.

"Is that an order, Commander?" Khan chuckled as I watched Khan reach out to tap the tip of my nose. "If I must then I will."

It hurt to see my Mates struggling so much, but I'm hoping to be their pillar of strength through all this just as they have been for me. I'd want them to lean on me just as I have leaned on them.

* * *

"Lassie! Good morning, good afternoon, or a good night! Hard to tell on this ship!" Scotty's jovial voice echoed throughout the hallway and when I turned to greet him I saw that he had his arm swung around Chekov's neck, dragging the poor kid who looked to be trying his best to keep in step with the Scottsman. Keenser was trailing right on Scotty's heels and when I saw him he had lifted his hand and gave me a shy wave to which I reciprocated.

"Scotty, Pavel. Keenser. It's good to see you three." I greeted them with a smile before looking curiously at Chekov who started to flail his arms, though muffled he sprouting disagreements left and right. "What's going on here?"

"Laddie here," Scotty repositioned his hold on Chekov causing the boy to stand straight as Scotty slapped him on his back causing the boy to stagger. "thinks his 'milk diet' is the better choice of drink over my malt whiskey. Now, I'm itching to prove him wrong."

"Wodka is the better choice of the two!" Chekov argued as he pushed off of Scotty.

"It's soda pop laddie! You should wean off that milk diet." Scotty argued back. "You need a drink fit for a man!"

"Scotch is a drink for a man?" Chekov scoffed, I suppose they weren't a stranger to this argument judging off of how on edge both Scotty and Chekov were. "It was inwented by a little old lady in Leningrad!"

"Boys," I butted in, walking over to separate the two before things got even more heated between them. "I think we can all agree that _**both**_ drinks are delicious, yes?"

" **NO!** " They both shouted before turning their glares back at each other and I could only let out a sigh.

"How 'bout a bet laddie?" Scotty suddenly said, piquing Chekov's interest. "Let's have Ally settle which is better. My Scotch against your 'milk diet'."

"I honestly think-" _**"** **Deal!"**_ Chekov interrupted, answering before I could decline.

And that was where I found myself, sitting in one of the many recreation rooms on the ship, the four of us had taken the first shots and while they slowly drank their shots. During their drunken state I would secretly swap their drinks through clever misdirection. I was thankful that they slowly couldn't tell what they were drinking the longer they drank. Keenser seemed to instantly notice, and I cheekily placed a finger to my lips as I saw our little engineer smile, or what I assumed was a smile.

"What do you think, Ally?" Scotty slurred and I could only smile.

"I'd like to know what you two think about the drinks?" I inwardly chuckled.

"Vodka-" "Scotch-" " **is better!** "

'Oh…if only if only.' I thought as the two of them continued to exchange some nasty stares and little offhanded comments before continuing to drink the same substance that they firmly believed was second best compared to their own drink of choice. 'I'll tell them when they've sobered up.'

"Kommander…I have a confession to make." Chekov, I noticed, while he was drunk his accent seemed more prominent than usual. "I vant to find my SoulMate, I am jealous zat you have Doctor McCoy and Mister Khan. I'm so tired of starting relationships and it not vorking when I try so hard to make my relationships work." Chekov seemed to sink lower into his chair, leaning his cheek against the table, practically squishing his face against the surface as he let out a long sigh. "How do I find my SoulMate, Kommander DeLuca? How do I find the person I'm meant to be with forever?"

Before I could say anything, Chekov had thrown his hands up and latched onto me. "I'm so…lonely…Kommander…"

"There, there Pavel…" I cooed as I rubbed the poor boy's back who sounded like he was sobbing into my uniform. I guess Chekov was an emotional drunk? "It's okay, cheer up. Your SoulMate is out there, I'm sure you'll meet her or him someday. You're still so very young."

"But what if I don't Kommander!" Chekov wailed as he continued to cry into my shoulder. "I've heard zat ve may never get to meet zem in our lifetime! How did you get so lucky to meet both of your SoulMates, Allyson? I don't vant to be alone anymore Kommander."

I didn't know what to do, and I was just about to look to Scotty for help when I felt another weight fall on my free shoulder.

"I understand how you feel laddie!" Scotty sobbed. "It's so hard being in space for so long with no intimacy! There's no one who can understand you better than I."

I don't know how I ended up in this situation, consoling two crying men who continued to go on about being lonely for a solid half hour. I understood how they felt, with all their friends finding their SoulMate, and I guess this was just the thing they needed. I reached around the men, enveloping them in a loose hug, as I tentatively rubbed their backs as they continued to cry and I looked across at Keenser. I guess my eyes were pleading for help once again because Keenser simply stared back at me and shook his head side to side.

"Mister Scott…" Chekov's tear-filled, doe-eyed stare turned to look across to Scotty before the two of them reached out to grip each other's hands right in front of me.

"You don't have to be alone my boy! We are bachelors! We should enjoy our freedom!" Scotty cheered up before he suddenly bounced up and away from me, pouring whatever drink was in his reach into our empty glasses. Scotty thrusted one into Chekov's hands, another into Keensers, and then for some reason one into mine. "Let's enjoy our freedom! Take things one step at a time! We can worry about SoulMates and SoulMarks when we're brittle and old!"

"Za vas (Cheers, to you)!" Chekov yelled out.

"Slàinte mhath (Cheers)!" Scotty cheered as Keenser simply held up his glass.

"…cheers…" I mumbled as I watched the two down their drinks. I made the decision that this was as far as they would go. I looked behind me and noticed two guards that were passing by, whistling to get their attention before motioning for them to approach.

"Ma'am?" The two in unison questioned before I urged them to lower their voices.

"Gently and patiently escort Mister Scott and Mister Chekov back to their quarters, make sure they get into bed. I'll be by later to check on their status." I whispered with a smile, the two officers nodded their heads before I turned back to my two friends. "Scotty, Pavel? These two have some business to discuss with you, do you mind following them?"

Scotty was in the process of drinking another glass, swallowing it quickly before eagerly nodding his head. Chekov looked to have passed out as he had taken to resting his forehead completely on the table facing down.

I watched as Scotty followed one of the officers, a wobble in his steps, with Keenser following right behind while the second officer gently lifted Chekov's body, slinging one of Chekov's arms around his neck for support as Chekov leaned further into the officer. Mumbling some incoherent words, both in English and Russian, as they were carefully escorted out of the rec room.

I couldn't help but laugh as I saw Chekov cradling a bottle of Scotch with his free hand to his chest, adamantly against parting with the bottle just as the officer tried to pry it out of his grasp.

I had a lot of explaining to do with Khan and Jim, notifying them that our chief engineer and our ship's navigator wouldn't be reporting for their shift tomorrow, but…it was a much needed break that they needed. I'll check on them soon after, guaranteeing that they will be feeling all of this when they wake up with no recollection about what transpired from their drinking session, I hope.

* * *

"That's a point for me!" I smiled triumphantly as I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

"You haven't won yet. We're dead even." Sulu smiled as he, too, was out of breath while still holding his form with his sabre at a ready. "Next point determines the winner."

I got into the position that Sulu had instructed me as the two of us faced off once more, my free hand held behind me as I carefully watched for any subtle movements from my 'opponent' before I saw the tiny shift in Sulu's right foot. Sulu had quickly lunged forward causing me to react, parrying as I inched back to avoid any further attack. Sulu went continuously on the attack while I kept on the defense before making the decision to push forward, my riposte.

During our first session, Sulu would've gotten a point off of me in a second, but now? I'd like to think that I'm giving him a run for his money.

'There!' I thought as I saw the slightest of openings, lunging forward with my own sabre and I had tapped Sulu on the left shoulder.

" **Point!** " The both of us yelled simultaneously and for a second the two of us stood confused, until I had glanced down and saw the tip of his sabre had come into contact with my stomach.

"Shall we call it a draw?" Sulu asked after a minute of us holding the same position.

"A draw." I nodded my head as Sulu clasped his hand in mine. "Good game."

"No kidding." Sulu huffed, still a smile on his face. "Must you always be great at everything you set your mind to?"

"I can't take all the credit, I had a great teacher." I smiled. "I still have a lot to learn with anything someone teaches me, I just make it a habit to continuously practice."

"I hope during our shore leave you can meet my little girl. Maybe some of your mentality can rub off on her, with her being young she'll be influenced easily." Sulu smiled. "Can't wait to introduce her to everyone here actually."

"You have a little girl?" I asked as the two of us plopped down onto the gym mat. "What's her name?"

"Demora." Sulu smiled as he reached toward our personal belongings that we had placed closely, bringing out his datapad and proudly showing me a picture of him standing beside a man who was holding a little girl in his arms. "She's going to be three, and the man carrying her is my partner, Ben. They're traveling to meet us in Yorktown for our shore leave."

"She's beautiful Hikaru, and your partner is very handsome." I complimented as I stared at the loving couple and child smiling back at me. "You? Not so much."

I laughed as Sulu shoved me backwards, taking back his datapad as he laughed along with me.

"Two loves of my life." Sulu suddenly sighed. "I miss them a lot."

"I'm sure they miss you as well." I nudged Sulu's side. "Especially that little girl."

"I've tried asking Ben if he would consider moving onto the Enterprise with me, to be closer to them, but he's been against it. A Starship isn't the best place to raise our daughter with the threat of danger and death always lurking around every corner." Sulu admitted as he stared down at the picture of his family. "Ben's been thinking that living in Yorktown would be much safer, and I may ask to be transferred and stationed there. A few adventures into space is nice, but five years? It was fun, at first, but it's putting a strain on my mental health along with my husband and daughter." Sulu's brow furrowed as I saw his grip on his datapad tighten. "Ben sends me videos, and I'm seeing how many milestones I'm missing out on…and it makes me miss my home even more." I watched as Sulu blinked a couple of times before reaching up and wiping the corner of his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"Don't be sorry Hikaru," I assured as I reached out to pat his leg. "everyone has a breaking point, things they've sacrificed for this mission, and I think everyone is experiencing some sort of depression and longing aboard this ship."

"Maybe we all need this leave…" Sulu sighed.

"If…if you think that it would be best to transfer over to the Yorktown starbase, then I think you should do it. If it's putting a strain on your life, then you should put your family and health first." I hesitantly mumbled. "That little girl needs and deserves both loving parents around."

"Trying to get rid of me to take over my station? How incredibly rude." Sulu joked and I simply shook my head.

"You know that's not me. No one can replace you, things wouldn't be the same without our trustworthy helmsman. You're the best in the fleet, no one can fly the Enterprise better than you can." I lightly scolded. "But if it's what you think is best for your family, then no one would hold that against you."

* * *

"Captain?" I asked as I saw Jim simply…standing in the middle of the hallway? I carefully stepped up to where Jim stood and peaked around him to notice that he seemed to be zoning out. "Captain…" I tentatively called out once more, and when Jim didn't answer I reached up and snapped my fingers in front of his face. "Jim!"

Jim blinked a few times, his eyes widening as he turned to look back at me. "Oh, Ally. Sorry, I-I must've zoned out for…a bit."

"Is everything okay, Jim?" I asked with concern.

"No, yeah, everything's fine. I just…have a lot on my mind lately. You know, a captain's work is never done even when I'm off duty." Jim rubbed the back of his head as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Don't worry about me, Ally. I guess I'm just tired."

"You could get hurt being out here just standing in the center of the hallway." I looked at Jim pointedly. "A healthy man like you needs at least seven to nine hours of sleep."

"I know, I know." Jim simply laughed it off before I let out a sigh, reaching out to grab his arm and dragging him in the direction of his quarters.

"If you know then you wouldn't be out here!" I scolded in a huff. "The moment you get into your quarters you're going straight to sleep. I'm going to have a talk with Spock to let him know that you need some rest." _**"** **Ally-"**_ "If a crew member is showing signs of stress and fatigue—with reaction time down by a considerable percentage. Is irritable and quarrelsome by your orders is to take a leave of absence until a medical personal clears them for duty. That is your words, Jim." _**"** **Allyson-"**_ "If I report to Spock that I found you just standing here he will agree with me. Sleep deprivation can lead to questionable choices, your ability to concentrate decreases, lack of sleep can even affect your immune system!"

"Yes, _Bones_ , I know." Jim sarcastically joked before I stopped right in front of the door to his quarters and rounded on him with my hands on my hips. "Ally, I promise I will head straight to bed, you just have to move so I can make it into my quarters."

I stared back at Jim for a while before stepping aside allowing Jim to enter his quarters and just as he stepped further in I had followed closely to watch and make sure that he would do just as I had ordered.

"I've got a few records to take care of and then I will turn in for the day." Jim assured and I could only glare dangerously back at my captain.

"Those can either wait or Spock and myself will take care of them." I pointed out. _**"** **Ally-"**_ "James Tiberius Kirk, you will do no work starting now. As of right now I am ordering you to get some much needed R&R."

"Yes, mom…" Jim grumbled and I could only sigh.

"I'm only doing this because I worry…" I apologized to Jim. "I wouldn't be this harsh if I didn't care."

"I know…I know." Jim assured me with a small smile. "I'll leave the Enterprise in your care then."

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked Jim once more who only nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm going to be okay, you should head back to the bridge. Inform Spock for me." Jim said and I sent a smile his way before turning to exit his quarters. "Actually, Ally, I'm not okay."

"What's wrong?" I asked in alarm, turning back to face him. "Is there something I can do? Are you in pain? I'll go get Leonard."

"No, no…it's nothing that Bones can fix." Jim shook his head as he went over to sit at his desk. "I've been…thinking over a few things and it's been bothering me for a while how to go about this problem that has been affecting my sleep schedule."

"What kind of things?" I asked as I went over to sit across from him.

"It's been getting harder to tell where one day ends and another day begins, a challenge to feel grounded in these times when even the gravity is artificial. Things have started to feel a little…episodic. I'm starting to question what we have been trying so hard to accomplish here in our extended time in space. Like, if the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something that will be forever out of our reach?" Jim started to pour whatever was weighing heavily on his mind, telling me his thoughts and concerns.

"I think the whole crew is experiencing some form of doubt and anxiety. It's…normal to feel lost, everyone feels that way being in space for so long." I assured Jim who simply shook his head.

"It's more than that, Ally." Jim sighed in frustration. "You know, my birthday's coming up, god…I hate my birthday. It makes me a year older than my father ever got to be." Jim leaned back into his chair. "My father joined Starfleet because he believed in it. Believed in what they stood for, and me? I joined on a dare. I'm doubting myself, and my capabilities to continue being a Starfleet Captain."

"You're questioning why you're out here." I stated and Jim nodded his head.

"Ally, tell me, why did you join Starfleet?" Jim asked. "Aside from being a legacy, and your family basically telling you it's your duty, what really made you enlist into Starfleet?"

"I joined…" I contemplated what to say next, carefully considering how to respond. "I joined because I wanted to prove that I wasn't just a 'family legacy'. Not just 'another DeLuca', I wanted to be Allyson DeLuca, I didn't want to constantly live in my family's shadows. I wanted to love being in space, not treat it like it was a job as my family does. Treat it like a box that needed to be checked off a list. I also, secretly, wanted to prove my family wrong. That my Marks weren't a curse, that I could accomplish so much without being a captain." I deeply sighed. "I think you need to find out who Captain James Tiberius Kirk is instead of trying to be Captain George Samuel Kirk."

"The thing that's been weighing heavily on my mind…the thing that's been bothering me the most. I've been trying to find a way to break the news to everyone." Jim mumbled as I tilted my head to the side, waiting patiently for Jim to continue. "I've…I've sent in my application for a promotion to Vice Admiral at Yorktown. I'm going to recommend Spock to replace me as the Captain of the Enterprise if I get the approval from Starfleet." Jim confessed. "I feel like it would be for the best, and I'm sure that Spock will promote you for First Officer."

"Have…have you spoken to Spock about sending your application to Starfleet? To Leonard?" I asked Jim, a million thoughts running through my head recalling that Spock was also considering leaving as well and when Jim shook his head I could only look at him in confusion. I was stumped. "Jim, why me? Why tell me first? I'm not your First Officer, and I haven't known you as long as Leonard has."

"Because you were the first person I ran into?" Jim questioned, hoping that I would be contempt with such an answer, and when I shook my head 'no' he had to backtrack. "Because…you were someone I could always go to when I had a problem even when you would get irritated at me constantly barging into your office. You helped me solve it and listened when I needed help even back in the academy. You'd tell me the worse case scenarios, try to persuade me otherwise, but in the end...you always had my back." Jim said. "I was going to tell them eventually, but…I could never find the right time to do it. And when I did? I'd chicken out. But you, Ally, you're like someone who makes me want to confess all that's on my mind, you give great advice and I feel better about the situation in the end."

"I-I want to convince you, if I were honest I want to force you," I let out a dry chuckle. "to continue staying with us, to go on all the adventures we have not yet experienced. This crew and this ship needs you…things just wouldn't be the same without Jim Kirk, but…if it's what you feel you must do, then I cannot stop you." I confessed sadly. My voice choking as I attempted to swallow the large lump at the back of my throat while also attempting to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "I was set on the idea that I'd always be following you throughout space, but I suppose change is inevitable. I will really miss having you as my Captain, Jim. And I will cherish the adventures we did go on."

"Thanks Ally, I'll miss you as well. I'll miss everyone." Jim said as I saw his eyes close to glazing over. With a shake of his head Jim had cleared his throat before slowly nodding his head. "I hope that you continue to watch over the Enterprise and its crew, Ally, just as you always have."

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

Everyone was having a rough time out in space, dealing with them the only way each person knew how, and Allyson wasn't an exception to this strange vibe that settled all around the Enterprise.

Allyson had been getting these messages lately delivered to her personal datapad, the same one almost every week, and she would be lying if she said that it wasn't causing her some sort of anxiety. She had wished to confide her worries with someone, she had searched for her Mates, and she also considered speaking to her friends to ask for some advice. But every time she tried, there was always something troubling the person she wanted to talk to. From what she's seen spanning the last couple of months everyone aboard had been suffocating, not literally, in space. They were dealing with their own problems that Allyson didn't want to overload them with her own. So, Allyson had taken to keeping quiet about the messages.

It hurt to see and hear the sufferings and struggles that everyone was going through, and she wanted to help them the best that she could, but the only thing she could do was offer her support and her shoulder for them to lean on. Offer them a place of security and to escape when the things around them seem unbearable. If she had forced what she was truly feeling, asking them to stick through it…Allyson felt it would make things worse. Everyone aboard would be at each other's throats everyday and that would never be a good thing since they were all stuck in a starship together. Seeing the same faces day in and day out, they needed a change in scenery.

Allyson was thankful for the momentary shore leave, and knew that they needed a break, so Yorktown seemed just the thing everyone needed right now.

'Yorktown…' Allyson thought as she sat at her desk in her quarters. The gravity of the situation was weighing heavily on her mind as she thought back to her previous conversations with her crew. It may just be the last time they would all be together if some of her friends decided to transfer to another ship or be stationed at Yorktown. Allyson knew that she shouldn't take advantage of the limited time they had left, she would make it a point to enjoy the time they had together until they reached their destination.

Allyson's datapad lit up once again and the woman could only sigh knowing that it was the same message from the same sender, and she wasn't going to deal with it. The sender could just deal with the problem themselves, Allyson was never going to respond. Not now, not ever.

Allyson reached over and deleted the message. She would continue to ignore any future messages else it would put her in a state where she would never be able to enjoy the time she had left with her true family.

The second Allyson had locked her datapad away into her desk, the doors to her quarters opened and in walked an exhausted looking Khan and Leonard.

"I just don't understand people nowadays…" Leonard grumbled as Khan nodded his head.

"To me, everyone seems idiotic, Doctor." Khan commented as he went over to his designated wardrobe, reaching down to change out of the uniform he was in.

"I just don't understand what goes through a person's mind most of the time!" Leonard had gone over to where Allyson sat, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Hello darlin'."

"Welcome back you two." Allyson greeted as she swiveled in her chair to face them. "It's rare to see you two agree to something? Are you two really my Mates?"

"McCoy was just complaining about the 'slang' people these days use." Khan responded as Leonard let out a low growl.

"I understand that they were off of their shift, but speaking to any officer of higher ranking while said officer is on duty there should be a sense of professionalism!" Leonard complained. "I had no idea what that man was saying to me, I was getting a migraine just listening to them talk…"

"Officers are usually too uncomfortable to speak so casually toward me," Khan went over and sat on the bed, leaning his back against the headboard. "though when I do hear them, it does give me a headache listening to how abbreviated some of their words are."

"Are you two done being old?" Allyson giggled as her two Mates turned to lightly glare at the woman. "They're having fun, just let them be."

Leonard pouted before turning back to the bed, flopping down on the far end away from Khan and Allyson couldn't help but continue to laugh as she got up from her chair.

"Are you both going to share the bed today? Shall I use the couch?" Allyson joked considering Khan and Leonard had fallen into a schedule to switch off every week on who gets to sleep in the bed, this week was Khan's.

"No, you'll sleep in this bed." Leonard's muffled voice called out as he turned his face to look at Allyson. "I don't care if this isn't my week, I'm tired. My back is sore, and I just want a soft bed to sleep on."

"Do whatever you want so long as Allyson is separating the two of us." Khan commented as he was in the middle of reading one of Allyson's books.

"We're at a truce…for now." Leonard sighed as he patted the open space between Khan and himself. "Come sit Ally, I haven't spent some time with you in a while."

Allyson smiled, staring happily back at her two Mates as she went over to occupy the empty space between the two men. When she was in a comfortable position she had leaned her head on Khan's shoulder and asked him to read to her as she reached out to run her fingers through Leonard's hair, an act he very much found himself loving. It was a moment Allyson reveled in as she listened to the light snores coming from the exhausted Doctor, the peaceful moment relaxed her as her eyes began to close. Khan's deep, gravelly voice sent a calm vibration throughout Allyson's body and slowly, against her will, her eyelids began to fall. Khan's voice and storytelling mixed with Leonard's slow and even breathing had lulled her to sleep.

And while Allyson lay in bed with her Mates, in her locked drawer her datapad lit up once again. The message came from the same sender, though this time the contents of this message was different:

_Allyson DeLuca,_

_It has come to my attention that the Enterprise would be coming into Yorktown for a reprovisioning stop along with any repairs it may need, taking a short break in routine from its Five Year Mission. As you know, our great-grandfather's 100th birthday is coming up. It is my job to make sure that all descendants are to attend with no exceptions along with understanding the severity of the situation should any decide to reject the invitation. The shame that would be brought upon the family along with falling out of favor with our great-grandfather._

_Father has made it a point that our presence is mandatory. Being offsprings of the firstborn, we were put in charge of holding this momentous event. A great honor for all of us. Mother has asked me to remind you that you are a DeLuca, though I would argue otherwise._

_For many years you have been allowed to do as you please, but not anymore. This is not up for debate. It is my responsibility as a DeLuca, much to my displeasure, to make sure that you are present for the party. Forcefully if I have to even when I don't want to. In all honesty, dear Allyson, I could care less if you show up or not, but this is Mother's wishes. Unlike you I do not make it my life goal to constantly disappoint and go against Mother or Father._

_When the Enterprise makes dock, Celestyn and myself will be there to greet you personally and hand you your invitation along with all the information you would need to know. We must speak in agreement in concern for our great-grandfather's birthday celebration. Because knowing you and your rebellious ways you have not read any of my previous attempts to contact you or even seen the invitation I had sent out._

_Remember, dear sister, whether you accept it or not you are a DeLuca. We have a responsibility and an image to uphold. We shall talk more the next we meet._

_Aurelius DeLuca._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is feeling suffocated being out in space for so long, they're missing friends and family. Questioning themselves! Dealing with their own problems and they need an outlet (I know there's other things they can do beside drinking, but it just seemed to fit you know?), a stop in Yorktown is welcomed lol. And I'd like to think Allyson loves her friends a lot to always want to be there for them to work through their problems, even if it's just to listen to them rant. Though...what drama is waiting to greet Allyson once she steps foot off her ship? *gasp* Find out...in the next chapter!


	30. Yorktown Family Clash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I have no excuse! I got sidetracked really bad because I discovered the joys of playing Assassins Creed! I've been playing all the games from morning till it's time for bed. My humblest apologies! Please forgive me! Anyway, I hope this chapter makes sense as we inch our way into Beyond!

"So! Ally! Do you have any plans for when we make dock into Yorktown?" Scotty asked as the two of us sat comfortably by our consoles in the transporter room, passing time until Jim called for us to bring him back aboard the ship.

"Nyota and Carol wanted to check out some of the shops while we're there so I'm pretty excited about that. To just splurge and go on a shopping spree for once. Maybe take Leonard and Khan out to dinner or do some fun activities together." I smiled at Scotty. "What about you?"

"Sleep." Scotty nodded his head as if to confirm his own plans. "Being separated from my metal lady there's nothing much I can do or want to do. I may read more of my technical journals, but I'm gonna just enjoy the free time that I do have until I have to go back to dealing with Khan."

"Has Khan been giving you trouble?" I asked Scotty in concern to which my friend furiously started to shake his head.

"No! No, it's not that. He's been well behaved that man. I'm always excited to pick at his brain when he offers new alternatives that would last us until our next stop." Scotty smiled, glancing around the room before leaning closer to whisper into my ear. "He's a bit intimidating though…when I crack a joke that man never smiles. Never! No sense of humor in his bones."

"You're right, he doesn't have a sense of humor." Scotty and myself shared a laugh. "Don't tell him I said that though."

"So long as you don't tell him what I said? Lass my lips are sealed." Scotty smiled.

"What about doing something with Keenser?" I asked.

"I could, but I think he's caught something. Wee man needs his rest which he will get once we make port in Yorktown." Scotty said and after a few seconds I let out a hum in thought as I checked the time on our console.

"Jim's been gone an awful long time with no communication…I hope he's okay." I sucked in the bottom of my lip.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's just negotiating a peace offer." Scotty brushed off my concern. "Why, I predict any second now, he'll call for us to beam him back to the ship to report a mission well done."

And right on cue, Jim had started to hail our communicators, though we had both jumped in our seats at the sudden urgency and panic in his voice.

 _ **"** **Scotty! Ally! Get me out of here!"**_ Jim started to yell.

"That was quick." Scotty commented as he readjusted the singular lens on his temple while I activated my eyepiece to lock onto Jim's signal and fed my readings to Scotty's screen

 _ **"** **Scotty!"**_ Jim yelled.

"Something must've gone wrong." I concluded as I tapped a few buttons on my own console, my eyepiece fizzing in and out of focus as I attempted to lock on to his signal. "There seems to be a bunch of mass accumulating around the captain's signal, I can't pinpoint clearly his whereabouts."

"There's quite a bit of surface interference, sir." Scotty informed.

 _ **"** **Ally! Now!"**_ Jim sounded like he was on the verge of panicking before my eyepiece finally locked on to a single signal.

"Got him!" I called out. "Energize!"

Golden swirls started forming from inside the transporter and before our eyes Jim's form started to materialize from the golden swirls. His whole body came together before the swirls vanished leaving him standing alone on the platform…or not entirely alone as we watched him struggle with the creatures crawling all over his body.

"Security!" I called to the men that we had stationed just outside the transporter room the second I saw a couple Teenaxi's still attached to Jim's body, clawing and biting at his uniform and exposed skin. As Jim was fighting off the little creatures the officers jumped into action, rushing over to where Jim was flailing as they attempted to pry the creatures off our captain, struggling as they tried to get them under control.

"Welcome back, Jim." I greeted our captain who let out a sigh in exhaustion, waving lazily in my direction as he dragged his feet off the platform. "Another ripped shirt?"

"And I almost lost my shoe…" Jim pouted to the boot in his hand as he walked past Scotty and I, the two of us watching Jim leave dejectedly.

"How'd it go?" Scotty called to Jim's retreating form before I jumped in fright when one of the Teenaxi's slammed against the plexiglass that was protecting us.

"Just another day in the fleet…" Jim's disheartened voice called back just barely above a whisper as we watched him turn left.

"Jim, wrong way." I called to our captain as I saw his body backtrack and head in the opposite direction, passing the transporter doorway once more.

"Yeah…" Jim mumbled as he continued walking. "yeah, you're right…"

"He's not looking too good." Scotty observed as we turned back to our station.

"Hate to say, but everyone's not looking too good…" I suddenly saw one of the Teenaxi's run past us and out the door, and I could only let out a sigh.

"Sorry ma'am." One of the officers apologized as he attempted to keep a firm grip on the other Teenaxi he was holding, the little creature grabbing at his hair and giving it a hard yank as it attempted to do all it could to get out of our officers grip. "They're…they're a menace to deal with."

"It's okay, we just need to get them back under control, or at least calm them down." I nodded my head as I gave the officer a sympathetic smile. I watched as the Teenaxi that was in his arms jump out of his grip, dropping to the ground and making a dash out of the room with the officer trailing not far behind to recapture it again. "They deserve a raise…"

 _ **"** **Commander DeLuca."**_ Sulu's voice came through from the intercom on our console.

"Commander DeLuca here." I responded.

 _ **"** **Commander, the Captain has given us permission to chart a course to Yorktown and has asked you to report to the bridge to oversee our voyage to the starbase until he and Commander Spock return."**_ Sulu reported.

"Where's Commander Spock?" I asked curiously.

 _ **"By the Captain's request, h** **e's gone to log the ancient artifact in the vaults."**_ Sulu reported.

"Understood, I'll be right there." I ended the transmission before looking to Scotty, giving his shoulder a couple of pats. "Good work Scotty, I'm going to head back to the bridge. You should head back down to engineering."

On my way to the bridge I took the time to reflect. Things seemed to have been quiet since the last incidents I had with everyone aboard the Enterprise. Everyone seemed to have settled down as a heavy feeling lingered in the air. No one dared or wanted to talk about it anymore. It was almost as if they had buried their problems and worries, to simply attempt to carry on until we reached Yorktown.

Though I took extra care to monitor all my friends without them noticing, making sure that no matter what time it was, sleeping or not, if I got a message from anyone I would read it immediately in case anyone was having another breakdown. I especially took great care to hide the alcohol in my shared quarters along with doing a few checks in any of the observatories in case Leonard or Khan were attempting to hide what they were feeling from me.

Leonard, thank goodness, had no recollection of what he had confessed to me the moment he woke from his slumber. He was ashamed and embarrassed, sure, and he had asked me if he had said anything out of character to which I simply denied knowing anything about it. He had accepted my response, though a little suspicious, and was most concerned about the intense pounding in his skull. He was in an awful mood for the majority of the day, but I made sure to stick close to him in hopes to ease his hangover.

I've caught Khan a couple of times, after the two of us spoke, standing alone in a different part of the ship, and when I did catch him I offered him the same treatment that I would give Spock. The offer of contempt silence. We simply sat, or stood around, and I got him to tell me all that he's been through and his struggles three hundred years ago along with what the world was like. I realized that we love the same type of music! I also made him promise to teach me how to dance, though I already knew due to my family insisting that all DeLuca's need to know how to properly dance for any gala's or parties. Something about always making a good impression on people.

Khan told me that being a ruthless leader he had no time to dance or even time to learn, but I was positive that even in his busy schedule he found the time to have some kind of fun.

Anything I could do to make their lives, and my friends lives, better…easier I did before they could even ask. If I couldn't offer a solution then I could at least give them a moment of peace. To help them keep their mind distracted from the darkness that still lingered in the back of their mind, I would do it without question.

"Commander DeLuca on the bridge." Chekov was the first, as always, to notice my presence as he announced my arrival to those that were working on the bridge.

"Commander, we'll be arriving at Yorktown in 10 seconds." Sulu informed me as I walked to overlook my station.

"I see that everyone has gathered on the bridge to get a glimpse of our newest starbase." I commented as I noticed Scotty had made his way to the bridge along with Khan instead of going to engineering.

"It's a beauty I did not intend to miss." Scotty smiled in excitement.

"We'll be dropping out of warp and coming up to Yorktown in five, four…" Sulu began to count down as I reached over to my station and searched for the whereabouts of Jim, seeing two blips pop up on my screen and I simply smiled.

"Captain," I attempted to get in touch with the nearest intercom to where they were situated. "Yorktown will be in our sights very soon, I suggest you and Leonard make your way to the bridge."

 _ **"** **…** **understood…"**_ Jim responded after a minute of waiting, noting the strain in his voice just before the line went silent.

When I lifted my gaze up my eyes had widened at the sight that greeted us the moment our ship dropped out of warp. There was a large translucent globe suspended in space, the glow from the starbase standing out against the darkness of space. You could see the inner working of the civilization living within and I could feel my heart pick up at the beauty of such a spectacle.

"Wow…" I stared at our viewscreen in awe. "it's Yorktown…"

"That is impressive." Chekov complimented.

"Aye, she's a beauty, isn't she?" Scotty seemed quite giddy as he, just like myself, was admiring the magnificence that floated in front of us.

"I've seen beauty," Khan said as he suddenly moved close to me, invading my station and coming to stand directly beside me causing me to look up at him in curiosity. "nothing can compare to it, but the advancements Starfleet has made I can admit is truly something to marvel at."

"What a damn monstrosity!" Leonard's voice suddenly interrupted as Jim and himself walked onto the bridge, coming to a stop just a step below and in front of my station. Leonard leaned his back against my console as he glared at the viewscreen. "Can't we just rent some space on a planet?"

"Showing geographical favoritism among inducted Federation worlds could cause diplomatic tension." Spock defended.

"Oh, you don't think that looks tense?" Leonard held out his hand to the screen. "Looks like a damn snow globe in space just waiting to break!"

I giggled at Leonard's analogy as I noticed Spock and Jim turn to glance down at Leonard before Jim spoke out. "Oh, that's the spirit, Bones."

"Let's just enjoy our leave while we have it Leonard." I smiled down at my Mate.

Leonard turned his body around to look up at me, giving me a light glare before letting out an irritated sigh. "How can one enjoy this leave knowing that at any second, caused by just a tiny crack on the glass from a stray rock, we could be sucked out into space."

"That's everyday on this ship McCoy." Khan commented as I saw Yorktown getting closer and closer on the viewscreen. "It would explain why you're never in an enjoyable mood."

"I'm not in an enjoyable mood around **you** , but…" Leonard mumbled before reaching out for my hand which I gladly gave. "I'll try to enjoy our leave."

"We're coming into Yorktown." Sulu announced.

"Ship wide broadcast: inform everyone to prepare for our leave." Jim nodded his head to Sulu in thanks before Carol and Nyota came rushing over to my station.

"We're going to borrow Ally for today." Carol announced, staring pointedly at Khan.

"More like stealing Ally for the day." Nyota smiled cheekily at Leonard. "You two get to spend every day and night of our leave with her back at your shared living arrangement. So, it's only fair that we take Ally from you right this second."

"We'll have her home before bedtime." Carol waved as the two of them shoved Khan away, coming over to my sides and linking their arms with mine before dragging me off the bridge.

* * *

"You guys were sure excited about taking me away from Khan and Leonard." I smiled as I shouldered my duffel bag. When the Enterprise had made dock, a bridge was extended out to connect to the area where all the officers aboard our ship were waiting for departure. The three of us were part of the first group to step off from the Enterprise, passing through the terminal and straight into Yorktown.

"It gives them the opportunity to miss you more." Nyota winked. "So, ladies, where should we hit first?"

"We can use one of those mini transporters." I suggested, pointed toward the glass box that was showing the schematics of the whole starbase. "We can see more clearly what Yorktown has to offer."

"Or we can take the rail?" Carol suggested, pointing up toward the sky just as one of the rails passed overhead that was traveling around and cutting through the starbase. "We can see the whole base from the windows."

"I could go for some coffee and a pastry." I hummed as I felt my mouth salivate at the thought of the sweet taste of a chocolate pastry, and I could practically smell the caramelized, nutty goodness of newly roasted coffee. "I haven't eaten yet."

"Let's go find a cafe and then we can take a trip on the rail." Nyota proclaimed. "Then! We play tourist for the day!"

"Let's go, let's go!" Carol was jumping in excitement at the idea. "We should find the shopping district as well! I need to stalk up on a few things before we head back out into space. I want to get it done now just so I don't need to rush when our leave here is close to coming to an end."

While I continued to laugh and talk with Carol and Nyota, either planning or winging our plans for today, I had accidentally bumped into someone. My shoulder had bumped into someone's arm without me paying attention.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I immediately apologized with a smile, bowing my head just a bit to show my sincerity. But the moment the stranger spoke my smile had vanished for I knew this voice well…a voice I had not heard from in years.

"Allyson," the male addressed as I slowly lifted my head to confront the man standing in front of me, noticing the woman who leisurely pulled up beside him. "you kept us waiting, almost walked right past me if I didn't step in your way."

"Ally," Carol, being the first to notice my silence, turned to stare back at the man suspiciously. "do you know these two?"

"Barely." I muttered under my breath as I glared at the two new people that instantly soured my mood. "Aurelius, I did not expect to see you and Celestyn in Yorktown."

"I had sent a message in advance to notify you that we would be here waiting for you and your ship to arrive." Aurelius spoke, just as dignified and proper as I remembered his voice to be. His sharp honey colored eyes staring down at me with indifference, his light brown hair that could almost be mistaken for blonde was slicked back as he kept his posture rigid. Just as you would expect from a good little soldier.

"Forgive me, I made it a point not to read them." I stated, plain and simple, causing Aurelius to let out a huff.

"I suspected as much." Aurelius then turned his stare to my two friends, his eyes zeroing in on them as he dangerously glared at them. "You two are dismissed, you have no business being here. Listening to our private conversation."

"You're not their captain." I snapped as I stepped up to my brother to bring his attention back down to me, staring up and challenging my brother who stood at 6'2.

"Now, now…" Celestyn came to place herself between us, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper as she spoke for only us to hear. "remember where we are, we're in the public eyes. We wouldn't want Father to hear about any disorderly conduct caused by his own children. We know better than to act this way."

" _ **We**_ know better, _**she**_ doesn't." Aurelius returned his gaze back to my two friends. "Hurry and dismiss your crew, Allyson, so we can get down to business."

 _ **"** **Allyson-"**_ I quickly turned my back to my siblings, giving my friends a reassuring, pleading smile. "I promise, once this is over I'll explain everything later. For now, you two should go wait for the others. This is a bit of a…family matter."

Nyota and Carol looked at me with worry before taking a quick glance back at my two siblings. Nyota gave a hesitant nod as Carol reached out to give my hand an encouraging squeeze.

"We'll be close by if you need us." Carol whispered as the two of them walked back the way we came.

When they were out of earshot I steeled myself and my emotions, mentally preparing for the potential fight that was about to erupt between the three of us.

"I would've thought you'd get the message that I wasn't interested in anything you had to say when I ignored your first contact." I pointed out as I turned back to face my older brother. "I'm not interested in attending the party. Do give our family my heartfelt regards."

"You are obligated, as a DeLuca, to attend Allyson." Aurelius pointed out. "We've had to withhold our planning because we had no clue where you would show up. It was by my power that I was able to pinpoint where your ship would dock to have a momentary shore leave."

"I apologize for delaying your planning, but knowing the **great** Aurelius, you can pull out a plan at the last minute and make it seem like you had planned it for years." I sarcastically remarked. "If I recall correctly, you had specifically told me after I left all those years ago that I wasn't a DeLuca." I held my ground. "Now that it would reflect on the image of our family, I'm suddenly a DeLuca? Which is it, brother mine?"

"How very typical and predictable of you Allyson." Aurelius ground his teeth together. "I expected this rebellious nature to come from Celestyn, but to have it come from you? The meek, spineless black sheep of our family?" Aurelius spoke out before scoffing. "Out of all the habits you could have acquired, it had to be Celestyn's attitude and outlook."

"Any chance to bring me down as well, eh brother?" Celestyn smugly smirked as she brushed her hair out of her face. "News flash, I'm unbothered."

"We're never going to see eye to eye." I pointed out. "Better to not have me there else it would cause disruption among our relatives, isn't that the better option?"

"And have shame brought upon our Father? I will not allow that." Aurelius scoffed as he reached out to grab for my wrist in an attempt to drag me to follow. "Now, come dear sister. We have urgent business to discuss for we are running out of time."

"This is my shore leave, I'm not going to be working when I'm supposed to be relaxing to prepare for the next few years in space." I shook my head as I wrenched my wrist free and backed away. "You're not my Captain, you can't force me to go anywhere with you."

"No, I'm not your Captain, but I am your older brother. The eldest in our family." Aurelius glared down at me. "Remember your place, Allyson, stop this stubborn behavior and be the obedient little DeLuca I know you to be."

"That obedient little DeLuca is gone, and has been gone the moment I left the family." I growled back as I stepped up to my brother. "My time away from our father's iron grip has taught me much, Aurelius. I will not be pushed around any longer." I motioned to our sister. "Celestyn can attest to that."

Aurelius turned to Celestyn for answers to which she simply shrugged at our brother's murderous stare.

"She was transferred briefly over to my ship back when Marcus called a meeting back at Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco. When Harrison had attacked our meeting, Allyson surprised me by fighting back against my command and controlled the situation perfectly. Saved a lot of people." Celestyn dramatically brought her arms up and shrugged. "What can I say, little Ally grew up. Can't help you here Aurelius."

"Typical of you Celestyn." Aurelius grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I have denied the invitation. You can tell our father that I was busy with other commitments. Make up some excuse. You're good at coming up with something sound proof that would cause our parents to listen." I glared.

I've been making large strides to being a better version of myself, and it showed when my older brother had nothing more to say to convince me to fall back in line. It also showed on my brother's face how furious he was at me and himself for not taking back control of the situation.

"There you three are!" A boisterous, shrill voice cut through the crowd that seemed to cause the sea of people to part as our attention was drawn to where the voice had come from. An older woman had sprinted over to us, jumping and wrapping her arms around Aurelius's neck as he attempted to hold his posture before the woman went over to Celetyn and squished her cheeks in her hands.

"My darling children, together once more, what a sight to behold! It could make a woman like me cry!" The woman came over to stand in front of me, reaching out and placing countless kisses all over my face. I would not be surprised if her red lipstick left any stains on my face. "My baby girl! Oh, how I've missed you so!"

It was a struggle to get out of her grip, but when I did I reached out to wipe my face clean as I stared back at the woman standing proudly in front of me. "Hello…mother."

* * *

Leonard and Khan in the beginning had their differences, anyone could see that, but as the years went by their relationship had improved. At first they wouldn't be caught dead in each other's presence, a possibility of a fight or argument was always inevitable, but now because Allyson was their Mate they had to play nice. And through their constant interaction they've learned to at least tolerate each other. Even going so far as to realize that they had many things in common.

So it came to no surprise that they were walking off the Enterprise and into Yorktown together, striking up a small conversation while simultaneously wondering where their Mate had run off to.

"We have to get used to sharing Allyson." Leonard commented. "We should be happy that so many people love her."

"They seek out her company, I have no problem sharing her. In the end she will always be ours." Khan said which caused Leonard to laugh.

"What have you done with the real Khan?" Leonard asked as he slapped Khan on the back. "Before you were apprehensive and strongly against sharing her with me, now you don't seem to mind one bit."

"She deserves free time away from us, and no matter how much I've tried she still wishes to keep you around." Khan stated before being the first to notice Carol and Nyota standing at the far end of the tunnel. "I see the girls who 'kidnapped' our Mate, but I don't see our Allyson."

"Ladies," Leonard had jogged up to reach Carol and Nyota first. "where'd Allyson run off to? I thought you three had big plans today?"

"We did, but…" Carol continued to stare forward as Leonard and Khan followed their gaze to see Allyson speak to a man and a woman.

"Those two suddenly showed up, and rudely dismissed us." Nyota glared. "Ally said it was a family business…"

"I recognize the woman…she showed up back in San Francisco. Celestyn DeLuca, Allyson's older sister." Leonard said as he watched Allyson and the man exchange what looked to be some heated words judging off their expressions and reactions. "The man? I can only assume is her older brother. What was his name again…? Airelius? Aurelioos?"

"Are you guys trying to say Aurelius?" Jim suddenly interrupted, coming to stand just behind Carol. "As in Captain Aurelius DeLuca of the USS Evolution? Why are you guys interested in Ally's family all of a sudden?"

Nyota motioned with her head for Jim to take a look, and just as the group turned their attention back to the group of siblings the man had reached out to grab for Allyson's wrist in an attempt to drag her away. This caused Leonard and Khan to react as the two simultaneously took a step forward to go to Allyson's defense.

"Hold it you two." Jim stepped around to stand in front of the two angered Mates, placing a hand on each of their chests to prevent them from storming over. Jim looked over his shoulder just as Allyson wrenched her wrist free and started arguing with her older brother, her older sister briefly adding in to whatever they were discussing. "Judging off how heated they look, you two going over won't help Ally's situation."

"Then what do you purpose we do?" Khan asked through his teeth.

"We do nothing, but wait." Jim reasoned as their group saw a woman in her late 50's come rushing over to where the siblings stood. This woman was as thin as a twig, with dark brown hair pulled up in a neat bun and a slight sparkle in her dark brown eyes. Though this woman seemed harmless, there was a sense of authority to the way she held herself as she looked to swell with pride the second her eyes landed on the siblings. The woman had wrapped her arms around Aurelius before going over to squish Celestyn's cheeks, and finally running over to Allyson. Peppering her cheeks with kisses that left red lipstick stains all over the Commander's face. This new woman looked to be an exact replica of Allyson's older sister. "That must be the mother, Admiral Denali DeLuca."

"I wonder what they're doing here…" Leonard mumbled before Jim snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face.

"We can't keep staring at them, they'll notice." Jim warned. "I'm sure Ally will tell us why they're here when she finishes speaking to her family."

As inconspicuous as they could be, they averted their attention elsewhere while still being in view of the family. Denali, Allyson's mother, seemed to be the only one talking as they realized that the siblings immediately all stopped to listen. Neither of the three dared to speak. Aurelius was hanging on every word his mother was saying, Celestyn seemed uninterested though her attention was focused on the joyful looking woman, but Allyson seemed uncomfortable at the situation she found herself in.

Though Jim couldn't hear or see what the matriarch of Allyson's family was saying, Leonard had taken note of the sudden change in Allyson's demeanor the second Denali had pointed down toward Allyson's exposed wrist. Denali had reached out and clamped both her hands over her youngest daughters wrist as she continued to speak.

After a few minutes of Denali talking, Allyson had simply nodded her head which seemed to satisfy the woman who let go and addressed the eldest siblings before taking her leave with Celestyn and Aurelius following close behind leaving Allyson standing alone in the sea of people that were passing by.

"Ally," Jim suddenly yelled, startling the woman as she turned around to see her captain walking toward her with her friends trailing not far behind. "is everything okay? We saw you talking to your mother and siblings."

"Yeah…" Allyson responded in a drawl before blinking a few times, turning back to her friends and Mates. "yeah, everything's okay."

"What is your family doing here?" Leonard asked as he went over to Allyson's side in concern.

"They're just passing through," Allyson nervously chuckled as Khan heard the slight hesitation in her voice as he turned to share a look with Leonard unbeknownst to Allyson. "mother invited me to a family dinner, and I couldn't say no."

"You don't have to go, if you don't want to." Leonard reached out for Allyson's hand.

"I may as well get it over with else she'll continue to be persistent on getting together throughout my leave. Her stubbornness is the worst out of all of us. Hates to be told no." Allyson looked to Nyota and Carol apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to take a rain check on our outing."

Without hearing their response, Allyson had turned to leave her group of friends which was an uncharacteristic response from Allyson. Whatever had happened, whatever was said and exchanged, Jim noted had shook his friend to her core.

The way she held herself, the way she spoke, it reminded Jim of the Allyson he saw back in San Francisco. Jim wasn't pleased with whatever her family had discussed with her to cause Allyson to regress back to the shell that he met back in Starfleet headquarters.

* * *

_"We have a lot of planning to do, my darlings. So much stuff that needs to be done before your Great-Grandfather's birthday." Denali, our mother, had proclaimed to Aurelius, Celestyn and myself as we listened closely to what mother had to say. It was a known rule that the second mother opened her mouth to speak, when she addressed us, we would keep quiet and listen. Zoning out and ignoring her would result in whatever punishment she saw fit, and I hated that I fell in line just as I did before. "Due to your sister evading your contacts, Aurelius, we're still so far behind! It's been decided that the celebration will be held here in Yorktown! We need potential venues, menus, decor, servers, seating arrangements, and many more things still! We need to make your Father look good in front of all your relatives. Nothing can be mediocre. So, we shall discuss all of this more in detail during dinner."_

_"Mother-" I attempted to interrupt the woman who turned her chocolate brown eyes onto me, noticing her eyes lower. Mother had suddenly let out a loud gasp before she pointed to my arms._

_"Sweetie!" Mother suddenly reached out and grabbed both my wrist in hers, making it a point to cover my Marks with her own hands. "What are you doing? Why are your Marks showing?"_

_"Starfleet uniforms are sleeveless." I pointed out before our mother lightly glared at me._

_"We had ordered you a custom made one!" Mother harshly whispered before she stepped closer to me and began to whisper. "What if people see them."_

_"No one pays any attention to them, mother, who's going to care?" I said before mother clicked her tongue against her teeth._

_"Relatives from all across the galaxy will be gathering here in Yorktown. Everyone will see them! Everyone will care! You should know better!" Mother let out an exasperated sigh as she continued to scold me. "I raised you better than to forget too easily about such an important thing."_ ** _"Mother-"_** _"We'll speak more about this at dinner. Tonight. I'll send you the information to your datapad."_ ** _"Mother-"_ **_"Do read your messages dear, Aurelius has told me that he's been having difficulty getting in touch with you. You wouldn't want to cause more trouble for us then you already have, do you Ally?"_ _ **"I-"** "I don't want to hear any excuses, Allyson DeLuca, after all that I've done for you you should at the very least check your datapad. And! When you come to dinner please, for me, cover those accursed things up."_

_Mother looked to be on the verge of throwing a fit when I hadn't responded, but the DeLuca side that was instilled into her caused her to keep her head on her shoulder._

_"Am I allowed to speak now?" I asked hotly which was the worse choice of words on my part as I saw mother's face turn red._

_"Don't get smart with me, Allyson. Where did you learn such manners of disrespect! You're lucky that it was I and not your Father that caught you with your Marks exposed. Especially when all our relatives are gathering here for your Great-Grandfather's celebration party!" Mother turned her back to me and I watched her shoulders move up and down in her attempt to calm her racing heart. "Aurelius. Celestyn. Come. We're leaving. Allyson, I'll be seeing you tonight at dinner."_

_"Will father be there?" I asked as I watched mother storm away._

_"No, he's far too busy escorting his Father and Grandfather to this starbase." Mother called back without sparing me a second glance. Aurelius turned his back to follow mother away while Celestyn was at least kind enough to give me an apologetic smile before doing the same._

_Seemed like something came out from our talk back in San Francisco. Maybe I'll have one ally to get through this family dinner._

"Aurelius, are you taking all this down?" Mother continued to speak as we sat in one of the round tables in a private section of whatever this restaurant was that mother had specifically picked out.

"Yes, Mother." Aurelius said as he continued typing into his datapad.

"I've already scoped out the best venue fitting for our Great-Grandfather." Celestyn said as she showed mother images from her own datapad. "I've taken the liberty to reserve the whole day for the special occasion."

"Wonderful, wonderful." Mother smiled as I simply continued poking at the food on my plate. "Allyson, are you not hungry?"

"I'm on a diet." I lied, it was the first thing that popped into my head the second I was asked. The atmosphere and the situation I was in had squashed my appetite.

"Yeah, I suppose with you being out in space for so long you have let yourself go." Mother nodded her head in agreement. Please…someone save me. "What do you think of dress code, Allyson?"

"Formal wear." I sighed, forcing out a reply.

"The venue provides the best food along with the needed help to serve the guests, though it's a bit on the pricey side." Celestyn added in.

"Money is not a problem, nothing but the best for this celebration." Mother reached out to Celesytn. "Do you have a menu?" Mother asked, but Celestyn was already one step ahead as she shoved her datapad into our mother's waiting hands. Mother gave the menu a look over before smiling in content. "This menu looks amazing, sweetie."

"Celestyn had sent me the menu in advance, I had picked Great-Grandfather's favorites per Father's advice." Aurelius stated. "Allyson, what have you to contribute to our conversation."

"I've been too busy on my _**Five Year Mission**_ , brother." I said, emphasizing that I had put duty before all else as we were rigorously taught. "I've been a very busy woman."

"Yes, the _**Five Year Mission**_ , remind me sister, was that assigned to the Enterprise before or after you and your infamous crew overthrew Admiral Marcus?" Aurelius leisurely questioned as I gripped the cutlery in my hand.

" **Marcus** violated countless Starfleet regulations that he vowed, just as we have, to uphold. Regulations, need I remind you _**brother**_ , that we were taught to respect above all else." I growled.

"Yes, and if memory serves, you as well disobeyed regulation and the prime directive when you made an attempt to save your Vulcan First Officer back on Planet Nibiru. Revealing yourselves to the indigenous life forms on that planet. A tribunal was held and you were transferred over to serve under Celestyn, though even that was overturned when you went after John Harrison. I went back to read the reports after our interaction back at the terminal, Allyson, the perks of being a _**captain**_." Aurelius turned his eyes to me. "Tell me, where is John Harrison? That report was withheld, only authorized officers with the highest position were granted permission to know about the incident. Not even Father or Grandfather was allowed in that circle."

"Settle down you two." Mother scolded before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Why can't you two get along for once like you used to? I've raised you two better then to act this way."

"We should be grateful that they're just exchanging **friendly** words, Mother." Celestyn had suddenly reached out to my clenched hand, pinching my skin as she looked toward Aurelius. "I'd take an exchange of words, over an exchange of fists."

"We're in public." Aurelius stated. "If we were in the privacy of our own ship then I would have resorted to putting our dear **sister** in her place."

"You'll find that it won't be as easy as you proclaim, **brother** , I've grown." I glared at Aurelius as I retracted my hand out from under Celestyn's. "Being out from under our family's thumb has taught me much."

Aurelius let out a huff of frustration before he went back to speak to mother. Celestyn had leaned close to me a second after our eldest brother and mother were too preoccupied in their planning.

"Behave, Allyson!" Celeystn harshly whispered.

"Behave?" I whispered back. "I will not roll over and submit as I once did!"

"I'm not telling you to do that! You just need to pull off this facade, grin and bear through this ordeal and party, then you'll be home free!" Celestyn glared. "Keep arguing, putting up a fight, the time will tick by slowly and you'll be exposed to countless more low blows!"

"Since when were you concerned about my wellbeing!" I said through gritted teeth.

"I'm not! I want to leave this dinner just as much as you do! I have better things to do! I dropped everything just to be here when all I want to do is be out in space!" Celestyn whispered before our mother clearing her throat brought our attention back to the woman.

"So, it seems we have everything planned out, we just need our relatives to show up." Mother stated as she reached over to take a drink from her glass of water. "I have ordered and hemmed your outfits for the evening to specifically fit your needs and match your personalities. You'll be the center of attention, this I promise."

"Must we really wear such extravagant things?" I asked.

"There has never been a gathering as big as this in our lifetime. Everyone will be making an attempt to make a lasting impression, along with showing up the others. Father wants Great-Grandfather's attention on our family." Mother stated.

"Why do we specifically want our great-grandfather's attention?" I asked curiously.

"The blessing of the DeLuca patriarch is an honor that can affect us for the long run along with our future children, and our children's children." Aurelius stated. "The same could be said for condemnation."

"And we cannot have that staining our family! It would be talked about for years to come and never forgotten!" Mother said as she looked pointedly at me. "I'm happy I took the liberty to order our outfits, if I gave you free rein you would've shown up with your wrists exposed. We cannot have that at this party. It has remained our family secret, and Father wishes for it to remain that way."

I was about to open my mouth to retort before I felt a hard kick to my leg causing me to let out a choked yelp. Celestyn and myself glared at each other before I let out a cough in an attempt to cover my slip up.

"Yes, mother." I mumbled.

"Mother always knows best." Aurelius said with a nod. "That concludes our meeting."

"Meeting? This was a family dinner with my children!" Mother giggled. "We just needed to take care of a few things for the party, other than that I'm so happy to be able to eat together for the first time since you all flew out into space!" My communicator suddenly whirred to life which caused our mother to scowl. "Allyson, I specifically said that all communicator's are to be turned off during this dinner."

"Apologies, mother, I must take this." I dismissed mother's stare as I got up and excused myself from the table, thankful for the opportunity to leave for some fresh air. When I put a good distance between my family I answered my communicator. "Allyson DeLuca here."

 _ **"** **Allyson."**_ Jim's voice came from the other end. _**"Sorry to interrupt your family dinner."**_

"I welcome your interruption, things are going terrible. I feel suffocated sitting with them." I whispered as I nodded to the host as I made my way out of the restaurant. "You know, mother has this delusion that we're a perfect family when in reality her children can't stand being in the same room as each other. Either that or she refuses to see it." I sighed as I leaned against the wall of the restaurant. "Anyway, what's going on?"

 _ **"** **I know we just started our leave, but we've been asked to head back out into space. I'll fill you in when we're back on the ship."**_ Jim chuckled. _**"Then, after, you can thank me all you want for saving you."**_

"I'll be right there." I closed my communicator as I let out a sigh of relief. 'I owe you one, Jim.'

I went back into the restaurant and to no surprise, mother was waiting expectantly for me to return, impatiently tapping her well manicured nails on the table.

"Apologies, I must excuse myself, duty calls." I informed my family without bothering to sit back down. "Starfleet is sending us back into space, details were withheld until I return back to the Enterprise."

"You can't leave, Allyson." Mother started to argue. "What about your Great-Grandfather's party?"

"Another ploy of yours to disappoint our parents?" Aurelius sarcastically spoke as he continued to eat the food on his plate. "I'm shocked."

"You may ask Starfleet to confirm my whereabouts if you doubt me, but the fact of the matter is is that I'm needed back to my ship." I shook my head, biting my tongue at the accusation, though I'm happy to take the opportunity to miss the party.

"If you were Captain, you could have passed on the responsibility to another capable ship." Mother brushed me off, making one final jab at my character which was the last jab for me that I will sit and listen to.

"If I deny my summons back to my ship, then I would be slacking as an officer, deserting my position. We were taught better, weren't we?" I turned my back on my family. "If I miss great-grandfather's party, then everyone would understand. Duty above all else, right?"

* * *

"Captain Kirk."I greeted Jim as the two of us met halfway in shuttlebay to walk together back to the bridge.

"Commander DeLuca." Jim greeted me with a smile. "How'd your mother take to you having to leave unexpectedly after just arriving."

"Never took it well, but then again when does she ever take anything I do well. I'm just happy to be out of there." I said with a shrug as I saw Jim taking another glance back at me. "What?"

"I haven't seen you wearing that uniform in a long time." Jim commented as I looked down at my outfit.

"I hadn't even realized I put on my custom made long sleeve Starfleet uniform." I was in shock, when had I grabbed my old uniform? "Anyway, our mission?"

"Six hours after our arrival to Yorktown, an unidentified unauthorized non-federation ship breached into Yorktown airspace. By Commodore Paris's request, I stood in to listen to the questioning of Miss Kalara who was flying the ship. According to Miss Kalara her ship suffered a critical malfunction inside the nebula during one of their science missions. Their ship had crashed and landed on a nearby planet and in the last minute Kalara took an escape pod and made her way here." Jim read off as we continued to walk. "As you know, the nebula is a difficult expanse in space to navigate."

"So, our ship and crew was nominated for this search and rescue?" I asked as Jim nodded his head.

"Kalara had requested for a capable ship, and Commodore Paris had said that there was no other ship and crew who would be up for the job. Capable for such a rescue." Jim said. "Uncharted nebula, dense space, we were unable to do any long-range scan on what to expect."

"So we're going in blind." I sighed dramatically before instantly regretting it, being reminded of mother. "Just a normal day for the Enterprise and her crew."

"While we are away, Commodore Paris will be discussing with the General Council about my request for Vice Admiral." Jim suddenly said as we exited on one of the ships levels and made our way to the next lift that would take us straight to the bridge. "I'll get my answer when we return."

"Have you…?" I asked hesitantly as Jim simply shook his head.

"Spock had been called away by a couple of Vulcan leaders, I was unable to speak to him about the situation." Jim said as the door to the lift opened and the object of our discussion was standing just on the other side. "Mister Spock."

"Captain." Spock greeted with a nod of his head as Jim and I stepped in. I situated myself between my two commanding officers as I took a small step back to allow for us to have enough elbow room in the lift.

"I was thinking…" _**"Perhaps there…"**_ The two spoke up at the same time, and you could literally see the tension in the air, feel how awkward the situation was, as I stared up at the two men. Watching as they fiddled around what they wanted to say and get off their chest. I knew full well what was going on in each of their minds, but was now really a good time to break such news?

"No, please." _**"Captain, after you."**_ The two shared a look, neither of them knowing what to say or simply waited for the other to continue and I wished I had taken a different lift. _**"I insist."**_

"After this mission, we should, uh, sit down." Jim nodded his head, stumbling a bit over his words as he spoke to Spock. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"I as well have something to share." Spock agreed as the two went back to staring straight ahead. I felt completely awkward just standing in between them, suffocating under the heavy tension that lingered in the space between, knowing that this was possibly a conversation I shouldn't be listening in on even though I already knew what each of them wanted to say.

"We make a good team. Right?" Jim suddenly asked as he took a glance back at me then straight to Spock.

"I believe we do." Spock answered just as the lift doors opened.

Spock motioned for Jim to exit first before Jim shook his head and mirrored Spock's motion. "I insist."

When it was just Jim and myself I decided to speak.

"You know I love you two a lot, you're my best friends and the family I always wished for," I said as I exited with Jim. "but I don't like this situation you're putting each other in, I like it better when you're agreeing with each other. I'll even take how you both acted when you both first met over whatever **that** was in the lift."

"Sorry," Jim apologized with a sad smile. "it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it known that we needed to sit and talk about a few things." Jim's lips turned into a thin line as he gently patted my shoulder before walking away. "Come on, Ally. One last adventure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family drama? Jim to the rescue! We've only just grazed the surface on the DeLuca family drama and I hope I introduced them well. Not much interaction between the three Mates, but I promise there will be more!


	31. Goodbye 1701

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all you lovely people! I apologize for not posting last week as well as this chapter being shorter then my normal chapters I posted in the past. It's not that I got lazy I was having a major writers block because I wasn't sure how I wanted this chapter (along with going into the movie) to be written.

After what happened with Admiral Marcus and the incident with our ship being trapped in Klingon space, I made sure that we did extra checks just before we left any station. Didn't matter if we came from a Federation space station or an unknown planet. Any time our ship was docked, just before we would take off back into the black abyss I made sure that our crew was the last people to do final checks on the Enterprise after running it by with Captain Kirk and Admiral Pike of course. Only our most skilled and trusted personnel would be in charge of the final checks, and only three were chosen specifically by the Captain and the Admiral.

So with the help of both Khan and Scotty we would do the final checks and we wouldn't go into space until Jim got the stamp of approval from all three of us.

 _ **"Allyson, warp core is functioning just as she should be. I've double and triple checked as requested, no leaks or anything out of the ordinary that I could see that was personally tampered with."**_ Khan called in to my station just as I was in the process of doing a few checks myself.

 _ **"She's good to fly, Ally!"**_ Scotty chimed in at the same time.

"We've gotten the green light from both Chief Engineer Scotty and Engineer Singh, Captain." I informed Jim as I brought up the schematics of the Enterprise.

"And what of Commander DeLuca?" Jim asked with a sly smile.

"Final approval? Everything looks good on my end." I nodded my head, content with what I was reading. "Sending the go ahead to Yorktown base to disengage the locks. Standby to take us out Mister Sulu."

"Aye, Commander." Sulu's voice answered as I contacted the people manning the station that oversaw the ships that were going in and out of the base.

Answering my orders, the moorings that were keeping the Enterprise docked were immediately retracted as we separated from the space dock. It was then that Sulu took control of the ship, thrusters firing up as we took off into space, and while Sulu flew the Enterprise toward the nebula I kept a constant watch in case there were any slight changes throughout the ship.

"Lieutenant Uhura, open a ship-wide channel." Jim called, immediately jumping into his duties as our captain the second he got comfortable in the captain's chair.

"Yes, Captain." Nyota said as she moved about her station, flipping the switches above her console as a whistle from the captain's chair notified Jim that he was free to speak when he was ready.

"Attention, crew of the Enterprise. Our mission is straightforward. Rescue a crew stranded on a planet in uncharted space. Our trajectory will take us through an unstable nebula, one which will disable all communications with Starfleet. We're gonna be on our own. The Enterprise has something no other ship in the fleet has, you." From the corner of my eye I saw Jim take a glance around to the crew stationed around the bridge as myself and Sulu concentrated on maneuvering the ship through the uncharted nebula. I was monitoring the space around our ship, making sure to keep clear of any of the large objects that we were moving past while Sulu kept the Enterprise steady as we moved forward. "And as we've come to understand, there is no such thing as the unknown, only the temporarily hidden. Kirk out."

"Easy there, Mister Sulu…careful." I called to the man as together we navigated through the nebula, making sure to avoid hitting any of the large masses of rocks that were getting dangerously close to our ship. Thinking fast, I took momentary control of the ship to move away from a large mass I detected on my screen that was out of peripheral vision on our viewscreen. From all around we would see flashes of light, hearing the rumbling of thunder in the distance, and the lights throughout the ship had flickered before turning off due to a stray lightning strike disturbing the power of the Enterprise. From behind we could hear the loud clap of two large rocks that had collided just as we passed through. My body wobbled from the strong vibrations that rippled through the ship as we continued on course to avoid getting hit.

"Mmm. Readings indicate cloud density diminishing, sir." Chekov read out as we saw the rocks starting to lessen, and straight in front of us I could see a planet further ahead just as the lights aboard the bridge flickered back on, my eyes squinting at the sudden brightness before adjusting.

Kalara started to speak, in a language I couldn't understand, but the device that was installed into her uniform started to simultaneously translate her words for us as she spoke. _"This is Altamid. My ship is stranded here."_

We brought the ship closer the details of the planet from space became more prominent as we pulled the ship into orbiting the planet at a safe distance.

"Approaching Altamid. Class-M planet." Spock read off his findings from his station. "Massive subterranean development. But limited to no life forms on the surface."

'No life forms?' I thought as Spock had graciously transferred over his findings to my station, rereading what was on my screen, and by the end I felt a slight shiver inch up my spine. 'How…strange…' Something about this situation we found ourselves in didn't sit right with me. Kalara's story didn't seem right, she says that her crew is down on that planet, yet there's no readings of anything showing up on Spock's station. Things just weren't adding up.

There was a strange notification that suddenly popped up on my screen, constant beeps coming from both my station and navigation that alerted us that something was approaching, and from what I was seeing it was coming toward us at an alarming speed.

"Proximity alert, sir!" Chekov alerted Jim of what he was seeing on his screen, bringing it up on the viewscreen. "We have an unknown ship heading right for us."

"Lieutenant Uhura, hail them." Jim requested from Nyota as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Yes, Captain." Nyota immediately responded by attempting to get in contact with the unknown ship that was headed straight fro us. From what we could see on the viewscreen we couldn't make out any distinguishing details, just an empty space, but every so often we would see a disturbance. A distortion and a glimmer effect in the distance like we would see with the cloaking device on a Klingon warbird. "No response. I am picking up some kind of signal." Nyota had rerouted the signal she was hearing and broadcasted what she was hearing throughout the bridge. From her station it sounded like a type of chitter. "They're…jamming us."

"Magnify, Mister Sulu." Jim ordered as he pushed off his chair to get a better look at our viewscreen.

As the Enterprise zoomed in, getting a closer look at whatever was headed toward our ship, it had picked up individual blobs of light. But it wasn't just one singular object, as our ship got a closer look it started to identify multiple objects headed straight for us.

"What is this?" Jim turned back to ask Kalara, and when she gave no answer, giving Jim a blank stare another shiver passed through my body. An eerie feeling settling in causing me to react even before Jim gave the command, I reached over to my station and sounded the alarm and at the same time Jim had started yelling to prepare for whatever was headed our way. "Shields up! Red alert!"

Just as the alarm blared over the speakers throughout our ship, red lights flashing all around us, we all had jumped into action. I reached out to enforce the shield all around our ship for preparation as I made a few calls down to engineering.

The distortion on our screen suddenly broke apart, breaking away from whatever formation they had been in and a swarm of whatever we were seeing started to fly toward our ship as Jim commanded us to open fire. But as I was monitoring my screen and our main viewscreen, I noticed that our phasers were doing minimum damage, and any torpedoes we shot out passed right through the swarm as they looked to be creating a hole to avoid our attacks.

"Sir, our phasers are having minimal effect and our torpedoes can't track their mowements!" Chekov yelled in a slight panic, a complete contrast to Jim who kept a straight face at the oncoming storm.

"Fire everything we've got." Jim ordered. I moved around and started activating all the firepower we had, granting full permission to any who was manning those stations at this moment to fire at will when they saw an opening.

"Captain, we are not equipped for this manner of engagement." Spock advised Jim, delivering some grave news as we continued to hang on and brace ourselves for the impact.

As we came into contact with the swarm of ships, multiple damage was showing on the ship's schematics that were flashing 'danger' on my station. "Captain, reporting multiple hull damage as well as our main sensory array has been taken out!"

"Shield frequencies have no effect, sir!" Chekov yelled out over the constant barrage on our ship.

"They took out the dish! Shields are inoperable!" Sulu called out as both him and myself attempted to find another way to protect ourselves from the ambush.

There was no end to the series of onslaught on our ship from the unidentified enemies, and the longer we stayed idle in the planet's orbit the more warning signs were appearing on my screen as they kept up their relentless attacks.

"Warp us out of here, Mister Sulu." Jim ordered as he went back over to his chair.

"Yes, sir." Sulu took the command from Jim and pushed the lever that controlled our warp functions, but we were getting no response from our ship. A new alert window opened up on my screen that was showing major damage being done to the nacelle pylons, a the structure that connected our engines and nacelle's, warning me of the permanent damage being done to our ship.

"Why the hell aren't we moving?" Jim yelled over the alarms, demanding for some type of answer to what was going on with his ship.

"I can't engage the warp drive, sir!" Sulu informed.

"Scotty, I need warp now!" Jim called down to engineering.

 _ **"I cannae, sir! The nacelles, they've…"**_ Scotty began to say before the schematics on my screen started to blink around the area of our ship's pylons, giving me an answer even before Scotty could complete his sentence. The nacelles weren't responding to our requests simply because we didn't have any.

"They've what, Mister Scott!" Jim called back to Scotty, thinking that communications had been cut off due to something happening down in engineering.

"Due to the enemy's calculated attack, they have targeted our pylons and separated them from our ship. The nacelles are gone, Captain, our warp engines have been destroyed." I felt my stomach drop, with this attack on our ship we're now just sitting ducks in space. "Warp is…impossible."

"Security, engage all emergency procedures. Active protocol 28 code One Alpha Zero." Jim made a ship wide announcement to any officers that were roaming the halls of our ship. "All personnel to alert stations."

At the authorization of our Captain, Leonard was the first to move before I saw Spock do the same.

"Leonard-" I called out as he came to a stop, backtracking his steps to come to stand beside me.

"Medical and Engineering personnel need to prepare for a search and rescue, if any, of any officers on our ship. I must report to my station, Ally." Leonard recited and I simply smiled.

"I know, I was going to tell you to be careful out there." I wished him luck, Leonard gave me a smile in response as he leaned forward and placed a quick kiss to my cheek before dashing off to meet Spock inside the main turbo lift.

"Sir, I have hull breaches in levels 12 to 15, 6, 9, 31, and 21, sir." Chekov notified us of his findings.

From all over the ship, officers were reporting to my station of the breaches and what was transpiring down on the levels. "Levels are reporting in, the enemy has forced their way into our ship, officers are standing by to open fire at the first sign of life…"

 _ **"Captain!"**_ Scotty's voice called, reconnecting with the intercom on the captain's chair. _**"There's a chance I can reroute the energy reserves from the warp core to the impulse engines."**_

"If we can get back into the nebula, maybe we could lose them." Jim spoke to himself, what choice did we really have? If we stayed here, we'd be destroyed, and all the lives on this ship would die. We will deal with the damages back at Yorktown. "Do whatever you have to, Scotty."

 _ **"Khan!"**_ I heard Scotty's voice yell out. _**"Wee man! Let's go! We have work to do!"**_

I heard yelling coming through all the intercoms of the ship, and slowly I started to see individual life signs of our officers going out at an alarming rate. In a blink of an eye I saw a line of officers close to engineering go out which was a cause for concern. Our crew was being wiped out before my very eyes.

"Jim, our security officers are being wiped out, I'm getting reports of several lifeforms exiting the ships that have breached the Enterprise before the line goes dead." I reported before hearing panicked yelps coming from multiple levels throughout the ship once again. "I've lost contact with levels 6 through 15, Captain."

 _ **"Allyson!"**_ Khan's voice came in through my earpiece as he used his personal communicator to speak to me. _**"I'm down in the warp core assisting Mister Scott in the process of refitting the plasma conduits. Shuttle crafts that were attempting to escape have been taken out."**_

"I will inform the Captain, be safe down there, the three of you!" I yelled as I felt another tremble go throughout our ship as I attempted to keep my footing.

 _ **"Captain."**_ Spock's even voice came through from the navigation console.

"Go, Spock." Jim quickly went over to answer, getting up from his seat at the sound of our First Officer.

 _ **"I've identified the individual who appears to be leading the attack party."**_ From Spock's line it sounded like he was returning fire as I heard his phaser go off. **_"He infiltrated the archive vault and removed the artifact from our mission on Teenax."_**

"Hold your distance until…" A loud disruption came from Spock's communicator before his line went dead. "Spock!" Jim made an attempt to reconnect to our First Officer only to have a sad whir respond to our request. "Spock!" When Jim's second attempt failed he turned around to the two security officers that had been stationed on the bridge at the time. "You two, with me. Ally, try and attempt to get back in contact with Spock. You have the conn until I return."

"Yes, sir." I nodded as I walked around my station and motioned toward a familiar face that was on standby. "Lieutenant Lawton, you have my station. Try and find a way to get back into contact with Commander Spock. Keep me informed if you hear anything from the other levels."

"Yes, Commander." Tina Lawton, my trainee promoted to Lieutenant that I was mentoring for a while now, stood up from one of the stations and made her way to my own as I moved to sit at the captain's chair.

"Keep a close eye on the captain's whereabouts throughout the ship!" I called out as another wave of attacks hit our ship. I reached over the intercom on the captain's chair and called for Khan's communicator. "Khan, now would be a good time for that boost!"

 _ **"Working on it Allyson!"**_ Khan yelled out as I heard an explosion in the background on his end. _**"We're almost done."**_

"Commander DeLuca," Tina called for my attention. "Captain Kirk has made contact with an unidentified life sign."

'Come on, come on!' I thought as my hand tightened around the arm rests of the captain's chair, and as if my prayers were answered the ship started to vibrate and start up as our engines came to life.

"Yes! We are at 100% impulse." Chekov turned his chair to me.

"Great work, Mister Scott! Mister Singh!" I reached out to Khan's communicator before turning to our reliable pilot. "Mister Sulu maximum impulse towards the nebula!" I ordered as I watched Sulu reach for the warp lever. While Chekov and Sulu attempted to get us out of this mess my eyes were concentrated on the view in front of me until something in the corner of my eyes caught my attention. I noticed that Kalara had taken a glance at the viewscreen in worry the second Sulu had moved and her reaction was strange in my opinion. Not once had I not seen any type of reaction from the woman when we were being attacked, but now that we had the chance to escape she showed concern.

I hadn't spoken my concerns to Jim thinking that I was just imagining things, but this story of Kalara's had seemed suspicious. If her ship had crashed, all crew would be expected to take escape pods, and yet Kalara alone escaped? Her reaction now just confirmed that I had every right to doubt her story, something wasn't right about this, but I couldn't concern myself with it until we got out of this mess alive.

Our ship had begun to move, and I bit my bottom lip in hopes that we could escape from the enemy inside the nebula.

"Commander! We're not moving fast enough, their attacks are picking up!" Tina read her readings, and just as she spoke the ship began to violently shake as many of us were thrown from our seats. "They're-they're moving as a singular unit, releasing a full frontal assault on the pylons connecting the hull to the docking assembly!" I heard Tina gasp before I turned my full attention to the woman.

"Report, Lieutenant Lawton!" I ordered as I saw her expression drop, she was terrified by what was being read out on my station that only she could see at this current time.

"They've…they've destroyed the pylon, ma'am." Tina said as she attempted to clear her throat and even out her voice. "We're now caught in the planet's gravity, the saucer is falling."

 _ **"Kirk to Bridge!"**_ Jim's strained voice came out from the captain's chair. **_"What's going on with the ship!"_**

"We are losing the inertial dampeners!" Chekov yelled in hopes that Jim could hear.

"Systems are failing ship-wide, Captain!" Sulu called.

"Emergency bulkheads are sealing, but structural integrity is at 18% and falling, Jim!" I yelled as the ship continued to shake as the saucer of the Enterprise started to spiral downward.

 _ **"…abandon ship, Allyson."**_ Jim's solemn voice came from the intercom he was at as I looked toward Chekov and Sulu, the air around us grew heavy as we replayed Jim's words in our heads. A part of me wished there was something we could do, but the reality of our situation was that there was nothing in our powers that we could do. No miracle that could save us like it did in the past. There were only so many times we could cheat death.

"Sound the alarm." I ordered, my heart aching at the words that came out of my mouth, to any who heard me. The lights above began to flash as a woman's voice made a public address for everyone to begin making their way to the nearest escape pods near them.

 _ **"We need to give those pods a chance to escape. Can you lead those ships away?"**_ Jim asked.

"Impulse engines are still trying to draw power from the warp reserve." I responded. "We cannot move until the saucer is separated."

 _ **"I'll handle it."**_ Jim said as Sulu and I shared eye contact.

"Aye-aye, sir." I said, my voice cracking as Jim's connection cut out.

 **"Abandon ship. All personnel evacuate immediately."** The woman's voice repeated over and over again. I started to drown out the noise around me as we could only sit and wait until Jim was able to successfully separate the saucer for us to buy some time for the crew to escape.

"Lieutenant Lawton, I need a personal favor." I got up from my seat and moved over to my station. "I want a status report on Doctor McCoy and Engineer Singh."

Tina was quick on my request, working as fast as she could as I tapped impatiently on the rail surrounding my station. "Engineer Singh is still in engineering with Chief Engineer Scott, they're making their way toward the escape pods. But I cannot find any life signs of Doctor McCoy. He could have already got into his escape pod, ma'am."

I bit the bottom of my lip, I didn't want to believe that something bad had happened to my Leonard, I wanted to believe that there was a chance he had already escaped, but my station was never wrong...Leonard wasn't on the saucer. With the amount of damage that had been done to our ship, the possibility of my doctor being caught in the blitz or sucked out into space was inevitable and I couldn't help but think of the negatives.

I could only hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I couldn't let that get to me just yet, being in charge while Jim and Spock were gone I had to concentrate on evacuating our crew to safety. Or what was left of our crew.

"Abandon the bridge, and make your way to the Kelvin pods. Only a few of us need to stay behind to wait for the Captain to separate the saucer." I yelled to those who were looking to the us for answers. "Sulu, Chekov. Status on the whereabouts of the Captain?"

"I don't understand, the saucer should be free by now!" Sulu said as he looked around on his station.

"The Captain should be there!" Chekov answered.

"Evacuate the bridge!" I ordered, jumping up to assist one of the offers who had tripped and fallen to the ground just as the saucer started to tilt.

"Commander!" Tina's fearful voice called out to me as she came to kneel beside me.

"Lieutenant Lawton, take this officer and assist them to their pod, and then you take your own." I ordered as I passed the officer over to Tina's care.

"Commander, I…" Tina seemed like she wanted to say something, she was stuck in a trance as her hands and legs started to shake as she attempted to stand with the officer I had entrusted to her.

"I know you're afraid, everything happened so fast before we could even react." I reached out and gripped her shoulder. "But we must stay strong and carry out our duty to the very end. If we panic, we make mistakes, and that can cost the lives of the people in our care." I nodded my head in assurance. "We'll pull through this, Lieutenant."

I couldn't promise that, and I think Tina knew that as well, but even if it was false hope and the possibility of making it out of this mess alive was bleak it was something that she needed to hear. Something to hope for…and something we both needed to hear.

Tina nodded her head after a few minutes, fear being replaced by determination as she got up to her feet to support the officer she was now in charge of.

"Impulse engines drawing power from auxiliary generators." Chekov reported. The three of us, along with a few others were the only ones left aboard the bridge as we waited for Jim to report back in before a large blast ripped open our locked doors.

Before any of us could react, the intruder had attacked the two that were standing beside me, this intruder was dressed in a metal suit that glowed green as I saw their weapon turn to where I was sitting. I stood up and reached for my phaser, if I was going to die I wasn't going to go down without fighting. I thought this was my end, it seemed like they weren't taking any prisoners, but instead of their weapons firing I heard a phaser go off and the intruder that had forced their way onto our bridge had dropped to the ground. A familiar face stood in the doorway and I smiled.

"Captain!" I called out in relief as he hesitantly stepped closer to the navigation console.

"How many of the crew are still aboard the saucer?" Jim asked.

"None." I heard Sulu say as I went over to check on the condition of the two that had fallen to our enemies hands. "But if I'm reading this correctly, the intruders are taking them."

"Captain, we are caught in the planet's gravity. We cannot pull away." Chekov said as we stared at the viewscreen, watching as the planet got closer and closer the further the saucer began its descent.

"Get to your Kelvin pods." Jim ordered, both Sulu and Chekov obliged to his request as they turned to leave toward where the escape pods were located, leaving Jim and myself standing alone. All around us, those that had stayed behind to assist us once the saucer was separated started to head to their pods as well.

"Jim, about Kalara-" I was about to say before Jim shook his head.

"I know…" Jim said as he took a glance to where Kalara had gone off to. "make sure everyone is secured into their pods, and then you take yours and you get out of here."

"Yes, Captain…" I said as I turned around to head toward where my pod was located.

"Allyson." Jim called back to me just as I was helping Chekov into his pod. "Whatever happens, we must protect our crew."

"Aye, Captain." I said as I stepped into my Kelvin pod, and just before the glass case closed I said one final thing to Jim. "Stay alive, Jim, no matter what. We'll find each other down on the planet."

I watched Jim nod, getting one final glance at the bridge I've grown familiar with over the course of four years going onto five. Just as my pod jettisoned out into space, I got a glimpse at the saucer of the ship, seeing the name of our ship flash before falling further down to the planet below.

'Thank you for getting us through our missions alive. You were a wonderful old ship.' I thought back to the memories that were created on that ship as I gripped the bars that held me in place in the pod. 'Goodbye 1701.'

My pod was falling, my course laid in for the planet below before I felt my pod jolt to the side. The readings I was getting inside my pod notified me that I was no longer in control of my escape pod. The enemy had taken control of my pod and was taking me to god knows where.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter was a little disappointing, I really wanted to capture that feeling of distress and just...heartache at seeing the Enterprise and the crew being distraught and our main characters not being able to do anything in their power to salvage the situation as we see in the movie. But I promise it will get better! (Yes, I did steal some of Sulu's lines, but I don't think he minds. I'd like to think him and Ally have a good relationship where they'd just tease each other about it if things weren't so grim).


	32. A Tale of Three Engineers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *blows noisemakers* Ta-da! *throws confetti* To make up for not posting last week I thought I would post two chapters! It took an extra week of not posting, simply because I needed to sit and think how I wanted to go into writing Beyond (as explained at the end).
> 
> And since the next time I update the date would've passed: Happy Valentines Day!

_"I've got it!" Mister Scott had yelled out, breathing heavily at having worked as quickly as he could to give the ship the boost that we needed to escape. I reached down into the shaft that he had been working in, offering him my hand to take so that I could haul him back up to our level. "Now! Reroute the power!"_

_Keenser, Mister Scott's little helper, started moving across the station that he was waiting on and in front of us I could see more of the shuttle crafts being destroyed just as they were taking off. The ship started to come to life, and for a second I felt a sense of hope before I noticed that the attacks on our ship started to get stronger._

_I went over to the station, going over to a different console that Keenser wasn't working on as I brought up our ship's readings. We indeed got our ship moving, but we weren't moving fast enough. Before my very eyes the schematics had changed, connection between the saucer and the docking assembly weren't responding to each other. The enemy had gone in for the kill, severing the docking assembly and rendering us powerless. At that very moment, from above us the alarm started to sound throughout the ship issuing a ship wide evacuation to all that were still aboard the saucer._

_**"** **Abandon ship. All personnel evacuate immediately."** _

_"Come Mister Scott." I yelled, accessing this floors schematics before jumping into action. "Keenser, with me. Keep close."_

_"We need to get to the escape pods!" Mister Scott yelled back as he ran to keep up with me._

_"There's one located nearby, but we'll need to make our way to the other side of the saucer for us to reach the remaining pods." I informed as I reached over to the side wall, activating the Kelvin pod and motioned for Keenser to step inside. "I'm inputting the sequence that'll take you safely down to the planet's surface. The pod will take you straight down."_

_Keenser gave us a sad chirp before Mister Scott knelt down, he spoke to the little alien and urged Keenser to gather his courage. "We'll see you down there, alright?"_

_I activated the pod, and the second it shot out and off the ship I motioned for Mister Scott to follow. "Just before we left I located any remaining Kelvin pods still on this level. I'll lead us there. Don't fall behind."_

_We made a run through engineering, coming to a brief stop in the center of the walkway as I recalled the floor plan and where we needed to go next. From behind us, over the sound of the breaking of our ship I heard the sound of a weapon starting up and taking aim._

_"Mister Scott!" I yelled as I reached over and grabbed the Scottish man by the back of his neck and forced him to lower his head just as sparks started to fly the second the phaser had hit the metal bar above us. Just where his head would've been. I turned around to see that the enemy had boarded our ship, they looked to be searching for something and we were in their way. "This way!"_

_"Why are we here!" Mister Scott exclaimed as we took a glance around the room we were in. We had snuck into one of the weapons bay rooms where our long range torpedoes were being kept. I started to come up with a way for the two of us to escape, while Mister Scott on the other hand seemed to be panicking as he took a quick glance back the way we came. "This is a dead end!"_

_"In there." I pointed toward one of the torpedoes that were armed and prepared to launch. These were similar to those that I had built and encased around the cryotubes that held my crew. "I can empty out the contents, make it functional for you to fit in and pilot."_

_"And what about oxygen!" Mister Scott voiced his concern, coming over to my side as I went about emptying out the dangerous components that made up the torpedo. "In case you've forgotten Khan, we're in space and I'm not you! I need to breathe."_

_"You of little faith, Mister Scott." I clicked my tongue to the top of my teeth as I concentrated on reconfiguring the torpedo, working on two at the same time. "I'll install a breathing mask that will allow you a few minutes of oxygen, in that time you need to quickly make your way down to the planet." I started hooking up more wires inside the torpedo. "Once I finish, get in and I'll place you into the launch tube."_

_"And what about you?" Mister Scott asked._

_"I'll have the crane do the work for me." I gritted my teeth. "No more questions, I need to concentrate. The enemy is breathing down our necks and we are pressed for time."_

* * *

The landing was rough, I felt the casing around me knock against some solid objects that jostled my body around the casing. With the help of the small pad I installed I was able to guide the torpedo down to safety toward the planet even if my sight was compromised. I waited, rather impatiently, for the casing to come to a complete stop before ripping off the oxygen mask and forced open the casing.

The bright light produced by the planet's sun blinded me, a complete contrast from the darkness of space. I looked around the casing and let out a thoughtful hum, it was a work in progress with the oxygen close to depleting, but it could work in the future if the escape pods became damaged during an altercation. It was a last minute fix, but it did its job and got me down to the planet safely.

"Now, where…" I spoke out loud, glancing around in hopes of seeing the torpedo that held Mister Scott, and just as I was about to voice my concern from above I saw the second torpedo casing hit a bunch of sharp rocks that jutted out from the mountain side, passing just over my head.

I jumped out of the torpedo and raced over to where I had seen the torpedo fly off to, jumping over hurdles and the rocky terrain just in time to see Mister Scott sit up from inside his torpedo. His casing had come to a screeching stop and was balancing just over the edge of a cliff.

I pushed myself to a sprint, adrenaline pumping through my body the second I saw Mister Scott start to hastily climb out, the sudden motion causing the torpedo to tip over to the other side due to the imbalance. The man had jumped just as the torpedo plummeted over the side, and when he had reached out to grab for something to save him his hands had slipped and found nothing to grip onto to save him. I skidded on the ground, stopping just at the edge as half of my body went over the side and I had grabbed a hold of his hand before he could fall to his death.

"Khan!" Mister Scott let out a breathy yell of relief at seeing me, smiling from ear to ear as his free hand that was dangling at his side reached up to enforce his grip over my own. Mister Scott used his feet to kick up against the mountain side as I used my strength to pull him back onto solid ground. We both collapsed on the ground the second he had been safely pulled from danger. "You're a genius, your last minute tinkering really worked!"

"Of course it did Mister Scott." I looked around, making sure that there were none of those alien ships that had followed us. "We can't stay here any longer, there may be more of those intruders that attacked us searching for any survivors." I got to my feet, dusting my clothing of any dirt that was kicked up, before reaching down to forcefully yank the Scotsman to his feet. "We must find a way back to your torpedo casing, gather what we could use to find and locate the rest of our crew."

"I hope Keenser's alright…" I heard Mister Scott mumble as we started walking, trying to find a safe way down to where I could only guess the torpedo had crashed. We had a long way to go, a lot of space to travel, and we had to hurry to the crash site.

"He'll be fine, Mister Scott." I assured as we kept walking, noticing that the further down we traveled into the wooded area a fog like mist started to settle around us.

"And how can you be so sure?" Mister Scott asked, picking up his pace to walk beside me as I heard heavy breathing from the exhausted man.

"I'm **not** sure," I stopped and quickly turned back to the man who almost ran right into me. "isn't that what people do? Give others hope?" I stared down at Mister Scott, waiting for an answer, and when he gave none I turned back to continue walking. "If you want it from a logical standpoint, if we survived in a makeshift escape pod, then we can hope that Keenser along with the rest of our crew survived since they were in an actual escape pod meant to take the contents inside to safety."

"Tell me, Khan, are you feeling…" Mister Scott's voice trailed off at the end. I heard the uncertainty in his voice signaling that this was a topic that he didn't want to bring up. Either it wasn't something he was comfortable talking about, or it was a topic that would cause discomfort for me. I'd say that it was both.

"Feeling what?" I asked as we continued the descent, putting a lot of distance from us and the destroyed area of our crash site.

"Back on the Vengeance 3 years ago, you felt a strong emotion that time when Ally…well when she…" Mister Scott started to stumble over his words, and I knew what he was trying to ask. "What I'm trying to say-ask is, is Ally…you know."

"She's alive, that I am certain of." I said with confidence, whether I was just giving myself false hope, I needed to believe that she was alive. The connection we shared was still there, something was telling me she was still alive, I just couldn't explain how exactly I knew. So long as that connection didn't snap, to feel that intense surge of negative emotion and emptiness as I did back on the Vengeance, I will continue holding onto that hope that she's somewhere on this planet looking for us.

"There! I see it!" Mister Scott called out as he dashed toward the casing that had snapped in half, pushing past me as he went about rummaging through the wreckage. "My communicator has to be here somewhere…ah!" Mister Scott had scooped a tiny black box that had blended into the dirt. He had flipped the front open and I watched as the cover flew completely off the hinges. When I got closer to the man I also saw that the communicator was also smashed in a few areas. Mister Scott had threw the useless thing over his shoulder before holding his hand out expectantly toward me. "Khan! Where's your communicator?"

"Trashed." I stated as I looked out into the dense forest, hearing the faintest snapping of a twig and approaching footsteps.

"You're kidding me, aren't you?" Mister Scott huffed as he looked around for another solution. The footsteps were getting closer and from behind one of the large boulders three alien life forms stepped out from where they had been hiding. Addressing us in a language I could not distinguish or place. My eyes went straight to the weapons they were holding and I immediately put my guard up, they weren't here to talk that much I was certain of.

"Hello there." But apparently Mister Scott was in the mood to talk as he cautiously stepped in front of me. "My name is Montgomery Scott. And, uh, who might you be?"

"Mister Scott," I called out to the man without taking my eyes off the three figures who started to advance toward us as they continued to speak. "I suggest you take a step back."

"Watch it, sonny. I'm pretty handy when I want to be, all right?" Mister Scott put up his fists, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the actions of my 'superior' officer. What was he going to do against aliens with weapons with just his fists?

Just as they made the slightest movement to attack, I had stepped forward and maneuvered my body in front of Mister Scott. Ready for a fight that was unavoidable at this point before a feminine voice caught my ears bringing all of our attention to where it had come from.

From behind our three unwanted guests a woman with white skin stepped forward and made herself known. This woman wore what resembled clothing similar to that of a scavenger, and I could only wonder if these aliens standing in front of us were scavengers as well. It would explain the reason why they appeared just as we had close to the wreckage of what used to be the long range torpedo. She had pure white hair with black tribal markings running from the top of her head down to her chin as she conversed with the aliens in front of us.

Things escalated before anyone could react, the woman had reached to the belts on her waist and threw out these tiny disks that lit up and hovered in the air producing exact copies of her that surrounded our enemy. I stepped back along with Mister Scott, watching and observing as she took on the other alien scavengers single handedly.

As she and her clones fought I noticed that though the holograms were simply that, holograms, they were able to inflict damage while being untouchable as I've seen when one of the scavengers had attacked her holographic image. It didn't vanish on contact, simply caused a disruption in the light beams that caused the image to fizzle out before coming together once more, but that didn't disturb their relentless attacks.

When one was left standing, the woman had pointed a makeshift knife to the lone alien's throat, still talking in whatever language they were speaking in, but I was curious about the devices she had brought with her.

'Holodisk.' I thought with a smirk as I bent down to study the inactive holodisk on the ground, noticing that it was built from scratch. 'Very clever.'

I heard a few grunts and yells coming from both the woman and Mister Scott, why he decided to yell when he had nothing to do with coming out of that fight alive I would never understand. But he's always been that way, a mystery and a bit odd, but someone who I could respect due to his love for engineering and tinkering with things to improve their functions. Never giving up on what many considers impossible.

"Don't come back!" Mister Scott proclaimed with a chuckle. "We certainly showed them, eh, lassie?"

I watched the interaction between the Chief Engineer and the mysterious woman, watching as she went about gathering and collecting pieces of the wrecked torpedo which proved my assumption correct as she searched for specific materials. She was a scavenger.

"Hold on now, that's Starfleet property, okay. You cannae just take it." Mister Scott started to protest and when she reacted with hostility, pointing her little knife to his throat that caused the man to take a step back and hold his hands up to show that he wasn't a threat. "Uh, but I'm feeling generous today, so have at it."

"Honestly Mister Scott…" I mumbled as I came up from behind the man and pulled on his shirt, putting myself between the engineer and the unknown woman with a weapon pointed at his throat. "what did that academy of yours teach you?"

"I'd like to see you try!" Mister Scott tried to argue. "What did you do while this whole ordeal went down?"

"Taking those men down would've been easy, but I was more interested in the technology this woman was using so I stood back and observed." I stated as I turned back to the woman. "Besides, it looked like she had things under control. My main concern was making sure you didn't get yourself killed."

"You," The woman spoke, her English sounded slightly chopped up and off coming from her mouth as she pointed toward the insignia on our uniform. "where you get that?"

"Is that English?" Mister Scott asked and I could only sigh, resisting the urge to place my hand across my face.

"No, it's German." I sarcastically remarked as Mister Scott jabbed me in my side.

"I learn it from my house." The woman stated, ignoring what I had said. "Where you get that?"

"It's our Starfleet insignia." Mister Scott responded.

"What does it mean?" The woman asked.

"It means that we are officers of Starfleet. Engineering division." I responded as I saw slight recognition cross her eyes. "You've seen this before?"

"Engineering?" The woman asked, her gold eyes never leaving the insignia.

"Aye, that's right. We fix things." Mister Scott reiterated, adding emphasis as he made a silly motion of pretending to fix something.

"Mister Scott, I think our friend here is clever enough to know what engineering is." I sighed as the woman went back to collecting random parts scattered across the ground.

"You're not with those bastards that killed our ship, are you?" Mister Scott asked which caused the woman to spit on the ground just inches from his boot, offended at such an accusation.

"I'll take that as a no." Mister Scott concluded.

"He is Krall. Him and his…" The woman looked to be searching for the best word to describe what **they** were. "bees. They search the stars for a death machine. They are the reason why you are here. Why we are all here."

"Even those three scunners?" Mister Scott asked as he pointed back to the way those three scavengers scampered off to as the woman then yanked off a large piece of metal from the front half of the torpedo.

"They have fallen from the sky, like me and you." The woman said before she took a glance around. "Come with me. Now!"

"Wait, no…hang on a minute, lassie. I'm having a difficult day here." Mister Scott protested. "I've gotta find my crewmates… **we've** gotta find them."

"I will help you find your mates." The woman proclaimed after giving what Mister Scott said a thought. "And then you will help me."

"With what?" Mister Scott asked as the woman mimicked the same motion that Mister Scott had done just moments ago. "You want me to fix something?"

"Yes. You help me, and I help you." The woman stated.

"All right, well, things being as they are, I doubt I'll get a better offer today, so, lead the way." Mister Scott motioned for the woman to continue walking.

"Good. I am Jaylah. And you are Montgomery Scott." This woman, Jaylah, must've been close by and heard when he had introduced himself.

"Aye, Scotty." Mister Scott nodded his head, slightly correcting her and giving her the name he's usually addressed by.

"And you?" Jaylah turned to look past Mister Scott to me.

"Khan." Simple, she didn't need to know more, we were pressed for time, and I'm sure she knew that as well as she simply nodded her head in understanding.

"Come now, Khan and Montgomery Scotty." Jaylah said as she hurried off and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes, let's go _Montgomery Scotty_." I ran forward to catch up with the woman with Mister Scott trailing not far behind. Hearing him grumbling to himself about it being 'just Scotty' and irritable that I, as well as Jaylah, seem to not want to call him that. "Tell me Miss Jaylah, about your miniaturized holodisk…"

* * *

I followed Jaylah close behind, I wasn't sure if I could completely trust her just yet, but she was the only hope we had at the moment on finding our crew…on finding where my Mate was located.

Though she was a woman of few words, I was still able to converse with her about the technology she had in her possession, it was an insightful conversation to say the least. Though sadly, Mister Scott wasn't able to listen or give any input of his own. Due to what little exercise he did he was trailing farther behind and Jaylah was getting impatient with how slow we were going.

"Hurry." Jaylah called back to the engineer as we stepped up and over a rocky ledge. I had noticed a few small devices on our passing, placed strategically on the ground, flash blue. Possibly a security device to notify her of potential danger that was trespassing into her territory.

"Are we there yet?" Mister Scott huffed in exhaustion.

"Stop asking that." Jaylah irritably stated as we turned into a cave, making our way further into the mountain. _**"Sorry."**_ "This is the way. Come." Into the darkness we went, not being able to see our hands in front of our faces, or where exactly we were walking. I made sure to pay close attention, listening in case we were walking into a trap set up by this woman. "And watch your steps. You do not want to set off my traps."

As we walked further in, there was a slight disturbance of light, similar to when those scavengers had disrupted her holograms. A scan? Or possibly something to camouflage and hide her 'home'.

"Oh. That's clever." Mister Scott commented as I went over to where I assumed Jaylah had gone off to. "What is this place?" _**"This is my home."**_ "Your house? Hold on a minute. Is this a ship?"

"A very old ship judging off the machinery and equipment." I reached over to a contraption that Jaylah had passed. "I'd say this model is at least a hundred years old."

"I help you find your friends and you help me fix it." From where I heard Jaylah's voice I saw a single ray of light that she had switched on. "So I can leave this planet forever."

"Wait a minute. Is this your ship?" Mister Scott asked as I followed the duo further, deeper, into the ship.

"No, Montgomery Scotty." Jaylah said as she shined her flashlight onto a plague on the wall, and what was on the plague was a surprise to the both of us. "It's yours."

"Oh, my good Lord." Mister Scott exclaimed.

"The USS Franklin." I read off. "A mystery unsolved until now, question now is…we have the ship…" I looked around the abandoned ship, recognizing familiar and unfamiliar parts and equipment. How long had this woman been trying to repair this old ship? "what happened to its crew."

We had gone straight to work on repairing this ancient ship that Jaylah had in her possession with no clue how much time had truly passed. I wanted to hold up our end of the bargain that Mister Scott had promised the woman, the faster we worked the faster I could find Allyson. What surprised me the most was how truly intelligent Jaylah actually was, having had a special talent with machines as she revealed that she'd been working on this ship for a very long time. As Mister Scott and Jaylah spoke, I continued to work on my section of the ship without rest. She had a knack for machinery since she was a little girl and her English was taught to her by the old ship logs that were still accessible. It was too familiar to a previous mission that I had worried for a split second that we would have another Charlie on our hands, but that worry was squashed. The woman didn't seem like the type to possess such powers.

I'd like it noted that I liked to work in silence, it gives me time to think, to come up with many more alternatives to substitute these old equipment with the new. Bringing this old ship into the 23rd century. I'd also like to note that I had no problem with music, it was soothing when the time was right.

So, why is it that I find myself gritting my teeth, writhing in absolute agony at the obnoxious blaring music, the screams of old tunes blaring over the speaker system that Jaylah installed inside this blasted old ship. My patience was wearing thin. It had prevented me on several occasions from doing my work properly that I had gone over to stop the music, intent on smashing her music box. Only for Jaylah and myself to come at a standoff when she had come over to stand in my way, insisting that she worked better with music while I argued that a lot more could be done if there was silence.

Mister Scott, thankfully, had come to intervene before I decided to just smash the box before she could even react. Going through her if I must just to silence the blasted thing.

"I thought I heard something familiar," Mister Scott came strutting into the area Jaylah and I were working on. I stepped away from the woman and moved back to my area. "where on earth is that coming from?"

" **There.** " The both of us answered as we simultaneously pointed toward her improvised speaker box. "I plugged the little box in the power cell and the little mouths make it sing."

"That's very clever." Mister Scott chuckled and I could only scoff.

"I'd use another word to describe it," I growled as Mister Scott sent a glare my way. "and it's not clever. More...a nuisance."

"Music's a bit old-fashioned for my taste, too old for Mister Grumpy over there, not to mention very loud and distracting, but, aye, well played." Mister Scott lightly insulted me as I shook my head while hearing Jaylah laugh.

"I like the beats and shouting." Jaylah proclaimed.

"Oh, you do?" Mister Scott's voice squeaked, knowing that his little hint to Jaylah about turning off the music went straight over her head.

Soon after, my ears had picked up the tiny sound of an alarm, drowned out by the loud music that was being played on the speaker, but I heard it...it was there, and so did Jaylah as her hands halted in her work.

"Switch it off." Jaylah told Mister Scott who leisurely brushed her away. _**"Ach, you're okay."**_ "Switch it off!" Jaylah urgently yelled which caused Mister Scott to respond without question. There was indeed a distinct sound of an alarm going off as I watched Jaylah get up from her crouched position and started to walk away. "Someone set off one of my traps."

Mister Scott set the datapad he was working on down and went to follow Jaylah before stopping and sending me a patronizing stare.

"What?" I asked, not taking my eyes off what I was working on.

"We're not gonna just let her go off on her own, are we?" Mister Scott asked.

"She can handle herself, as we have seen the other day." I stated plainly before feeling my arm being yanked away from the machinery I was tinkering on.

"There could be more of them that followed us! Krall and his men!" Mister Scott argued. "And if we lose her, our only lead to finding and retrieving our crew goes out the window." Mister Scott tried and failed to drag me along. "If you want to find Ally, stop being so damn stubborn!"

"Damn you." I growled as I dropped everything I was fixing and turned back to the man who jumped at my sudden movement. "Well? Let's go."

I followed Mister Scott closely as we exited the ship and back out into the forest, running to catch up with the woman who had slowed her pace and urged us to keep quiet when Mister Scott had accidentally stepped on a twig.

"Shh." Jaylah warned as we carefully and quietly walked down the steps to where one of her traps were located. She had taken the weaponized staff off her back, arming it and raring to go as we stepped around the corner. Mister Scott reached for a sizable rock, arming himself at the potential danger that was around the corner as we followed Jaylah. Inching our way through the tight spaces between the boulders, and when we stepped around the boulder the sight before me caused me to laugh.

"Captain?" Mister Scott's voice raised an octave higher at seeing our captain stuck in some sort of hardened brown substance.

"You know these men?" Jaylah asked as Mister Scott threw the rock he was holding to the ground and crawled his way over a boulder on the ground to where their bodies were suspended.

"Aye, lassie." Mister Scott pointed to each of them. "That wee man there is Pavel Chekov." _**"Hello."**_ "And that handsome bastard is James T. Kirk. They're my mates."

"Two out of a few hundred." I commented as I studied where they were suspended, judging off their bodies it looked as if they were in the process of escaping mid jump.

"It's good to see you, sir." Mister Scott smiled before Jaylah shoved Mister Scott to the side, tinkering with the interface on her staff which caused our captain and Chekov to panic.

"What is she doing, Scotty?" Kirk questioned.

"Don't hurt them. Because-" Mister Scott whispered, pleaded, to Jaylah who continued to tinker with her staff causing it to extend and elongate. _**"No, don't! Khan, hit her!"**_ Through all their talking and protesting, Jaylah did not let that deter her from releasing Kirk and Chekov from her trap her own way. She had reared back her staff and smashed it against the substance that trapped Kirk and Chekov, shattering it on impact which caused the two men to fall hard on the boulder just below them.

"You're free, James T."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I thought I would do things a little differently going into Beyond, and I hope I don't screw this up haha. It's a gamble, and I have at least four more chapters already prepared and ready to go (just needs to be checked over and corrected) because of this gamble I'm taking. Because the movie jumps around, showing so many different scenarios I had to decide if I wanted to keep switching between POV's in each chapter or tell a crewman's experience on Altamid from one view. I had to think what would be less confusing. So, I hope I do (and did) a good job in the coming chapters that will be coming out. I'm sorry that this was a long explanation lol.


	33. Run You Clever Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Hello! We are back again with another chapter! All I have to say is a big THANK YOU for all the support and love for last weeks update! You all are wonderful, beautiful people!

My pod had crash landed, touching down on the Class-M planet Altamid, but the journey down wasn't as easy as I had hoped. There were a few instances that I had thought my pod would slam into a few of the rocks that jutted out from the mountain side, there were clusters of trees that stretched up to the sky that my pod had just barely grazed upon that caused a slight panic each time I heard the screeching against my pod. I thought I was going to die a couple of times, and it was only when my pod was safely on solid land that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I was thankful that the intruders hadn't taken my escape pod as well.

Now, safely on solid land, I could concentrate on rescuing my crew…wherever they had taken them, and I knew just the person who could provide me with the answers I needed. If I could find them, and **if** they made it off our ship alive.

I had changed out of my uniform, dressing up in the blue suit that was packed inside my escape pod, packed for emergencies only. It was necessary for the situation we were in considering my standard starfleet uniform would attract attention compared to the dark blue uniform. I also grabbed for the extra phaser that was hidden in the side compartment in the pod since mine had been dropped back on the Enterprise. In the distance I saw another of our Starfleet Kelvin pods resting against a tree that had splintered on impact with a familiar head of brown curls messing around inside of the pod.

I was just about to call out to the Russian kid before something else had caught my attention. I saw a parachute deploy nearby, watching as it got shredded by the dense trees, and I only caught a glimpse of the person in the pod before taking off full sprint in its direction. Seems like Lady Luck still favored me. "Chekov!"

I ran over to the Kelvin pod that held Kalara, hell bent on getting the answers that I needed even if I had to force it out of her. My ship was destroyed, my crew was wiped to in a blink of an eye, all those innocent lives that were under my care and who were my responsibility, gone! Because she had held back important information, my friends, those who trusted me with their lives…and Carol. I was regretting how I treated her in the time before we reached Yorktown, instead of being honest with her, I pushed her away because of my own problems that I thought I could shoulder on my own.

'I promise,' I thought as I raced towards Kalara. 'I promise when I find you I will apologize profusely and ask you to forgive me for being an ass.'

But there was something more that bothered me, something that still didn't seem right with Kalara and I was going to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"You knew." I growled as I stalked over to the woman who was keeled over, resting her hands on her thighs as she took deep even breathes. "You knew we'd be attacked."

 _"You don't understand."_ Kalara's translator translated the second she opened her mouth, and I couldn't help the rage that overtook my body, winning over all other emotions, as I reached for my phaser at my side and pointed it right at her head.

"Captain!" Chekov's voice grew louder the closer he got to where Kalara and I stood. "Captain Kirk!"

I felt Chekov's presence come up from behind me, hearing a shallow pant at having ran here to catch up, but I simply kept my sights trained on Kalara. Watching as her eyes darted to the boy behind me before addressing me with her hands clasped meekly in front of her nervously.

 _"Yes. I lied. Our ship was attacked."_ Kalara confessed.

"Chekov, check the comms for survivors." I ordered without taking my eyes off the woman in front of me. _**"A-aye, Captain"**_ "Who is he?"

 _"His name is Krall."_ Kalara responded as her eyes seemed to glaze over. _"He took my crew. Like he took yours."_

"How did he know so much about the Enterprise?" I continued with the interrogation while Chekov continued his work.

 _"All I know is that if I did this,"_ Kalara grimaced as she looked at me sadly. _"He would set them free."_

"Chekov, are you picking anything up on those scanners?" I called back behind me.

"Nothing, sir." Chekov gave me the news that I didn't want to hear, didn't want to believe for I knew that was wrong. They had to have survived. "What if they…"

"No, no." I shook my head in denial, recalling what Sulu had told me just before we abandoned ship. I thought of a plan, a gamble, but if my assumption was correct then this was going to be worth taking that chance. "He was taking them. We have to find that saucer. Even minimal scanning systems will have more range than a tricorder."

"Aye, Captain, it's possible." Chekov confirmed my theory.

 _"Captain."_ Kalara started to shake her head, almost pleading with me with her eyes, asking me to lower my phaser to understand her reasoning. _"I was protecting my crew."_

'No, you weren't protecting your crew.' I thought with a scoff as I hesitantly lowered my weapon, playing the part as I studied the woman in front of me as I remembered that Spock had gotten no reading of any life forms on this planet. My anger flared up once again as I clenched my jaw, biting the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from saying anything to this woman. 'You survived, and mine didn't.'

* * *

We've been walking for a while now, following the direction that Chekov's scanner pointed to after having located where our ship had crashed. Through the thick forest, the closer we got to the wreckage of the ships the leaves on the tree started to lessen, the grass grew high and thick reaching just above our knees, causing us to exert more energy to walk through the thick foliage. From all around us floated what looked to be dandelions dancing through the air. I had to make sure to keep my mouth shut in case one flew into my mouth, which on a few occasions it had.

When we came to the end of the tree line, a field opened up before us and right before our eyes I saw what remained of the Enterprise. It had landed just at an angle with metal remains scattered all over Altamid's open field, the sight that greeted me broke my heart and the rage I felt that had extinguished on our walk emerged in full as Kalara turned back to look at me before leading the way.

"The Enterprise." Chekov whispered. "She may not even have power to the Bridge, Captain."

"She still has a few tricks up her sleeve." I said, though I wasn't necessarily talking about the ship itself as my eyes traveled from the Enterprise to look to where Kalara had gone off to. Chekov had come to stand beside me as from the corner of my eyes I saw him follow my line of sight. "I'd bet on it."

There was a bit of distance between us and the woman who was the reason behind the destruction of our ship, and I took this chance to speak to Chekov about what was going through my mind.

"Chekov," I whispered, keeping my eyes on Kalara, making sure she couldn't hear what we were saying. "when we reach the bridge I want you to continue to trace and locate any transmission on all frequencies."

"Captain?" Chekov whispered back.

"Just a precaution...anyway, let's hurry. We need to find everyone and get off this planet." I said sending Chekov a small smile before letting out a sigh. "Once we return to Yorktown, I'm gonna ask for a leave extension for everyone."

"Aye, Captain." Chekov smiled in return.

By the time we got close to the ship, the sky had darkened and the only light source we had was what was coming from the fires inside and around the Enterprise. We had to be careful when approaching our ship. Krall and his men had been hell bent on getting their hands on that artifact that he had easily, without any regard for the lives aboard, destroyed our ship just to take it from us. He would've realized by now that the artifact was missing from the container it was held in and would send his men to search the wreckage of the ship. It would be something I would do, what anyone would do, if they were searching meticulously for a specific item.

When we did a full check around the perimeter, even if the readings came back negative, we still had to make sure to watch our steps as we ventured into the Enterprise. We stuck close to the ground, working up to a crawl to see that the lights were still functioning on the outside of the hull structure.

"Captain, it looks like there is power." Chekov whispered.

"All right, let's get to the Bridge and find the crew." I said as we looked over the edge from where we were laying just in time to see a couple of Krall's men patrolling the outskirts of the Enterprise. "Be careful, and quiet."

As soon as the two had passed, I quietly slid down into the crater with my phaser pointed in their direction, watching as they turned the corner and out of my site before motioning for Chekov and Kalara to come out from where they were hiding. They had scurried down the hill, running behind me and uphill toward the ship.

We had a long way to climb, with multiple holes in the hull created by Krall's attacks we had to be careful where we stepped else we'd fall straight through. Not to mention the jagged metal that was sticking out from the holes that we could fall and impale ourselves on.

"Captain, over here." Chekov whispered as he motioned toward one of the openings that would be the closest to where the bridge was located. An entrance that wasn't on fire, lit up, or any dangerous metal that could take our heads off.

I slowly peaked my head in, pointing my phaser inside before patting Chekov on the shoulder for a job well done. "Good job Chekov, looks safe enough."

I took point, walking further into the remains of the ship until we got to the bridge. Everything was totaled, the bridge that I've become so familiar with over the years was unrecognizable. It still feels like a dream, things had gone from zero to a hundred the second any of us could blink. One minute we were in space preparing for a rescue mission, the next? We had no ship or crew. This rescue mission was for ourselves.

"The console is intact, Captain." Chekov's raspy voice called out to me. "I will try to reroute power to it."

"Work fast." I said as I observed the contents of the bridge, searching for anything salvageable. "Once we get this place lit up, we're gonna draw a lot of attention."

I heard the console start up, Chekov's grunted from bending under the console to connect whatever cables and wires that had come undone, before he let out a positive response.

"What do you think, can you find them?" I asked, quickly going over to see Chekov's work.

"Aye, Captain." Chekov nodded his head. "I am reconfiguring scanners to modulate for the crew's signals."

I took a glance at Kalara, giving Chekov's arm a momentary squeeze as a signal that I hoped he caught onto, before making a move to leave. I needed to put my theory to the test and to do that I needed this woman to follow me. "You're with me. I left something behind."

With our ship completely turned on its side, it was impossible to walk the usual path as we were walking on the side of the walls instead of the usual hallway. We were getting closer to where I had 'hid' the artifact in one of the vaults of our ship, but we still needed to be careful where we stepped. We needed to make as little noise as possible to avoid alerting those patrols going on outside.

 _"Captain,"_ Kalara's translator spoke up as I leaned down to access one of the vaults. _"the artifact was on the ship the whole time?"_

"I couldn't afford to get caught with it, so I hid it in here." I said as I knelt down to retrieve what I needed before I saw a knee come up and slam into my face. I had fallen back and dropped my phaser in the process, stunned as I rolled away to avoid another possible hit to my face or body.

 _"Tell Krall I have the Abronath."_ Kalara had my phaser pointed at me as she spoke into the communicator and I couldn't help but secretly smirk, scoffing at the situation she just walked right into. She started to reach down to the very compartment I was reaching into as her eyes were trained on me, a triumphant smile directed at me. _"Do you believe every sad story you hear?"_

As she opened the compartment I saw Chekov from behind stealthily moving closer to where we were, it was empty of course as she looked back at me in disbelief.

"Not every." I stated as Chekov's phaser powered up, pointing it directly at the back of Kalara's head.

"Put the phaser down." Chekov ordered. "Please."

Kalara let out an exhale, a bit irritated that she had fallen into our trap, but I didn't care. My crew was my top priority, and she gratefully gave us their location. "You get it, Chekov?"

"Aye, Captain, I have traced the location of her call." Chekov nodded his head as I reached out to take back my phaser and went over to the boy's side.

"What does Krall want with this thing?" I asked, more commanded as I was done playing nice. I've given her enough chances, no more. She messed with the wrong captain.

 _"To save you,"_ Kalara simply stated with a smirk on her face. _"from yourselves."_

"Captain!" Chekov yelled out in alarm as he fired his phaser at having seen the guards coming up from behind Kalara. As the guards were returning fire we made a run for it, I had wanted more answers, but we've overstayed our welcome. We had hopped down one of the slanted hallways and allowed gravity to guide us, an easy and efficient way to escape our pursuers.

We were running, to where? I had no idea, I just knew that we needed to put enough distance between us and them. The only thing on my mind was following the hallway we were on and hoping that an opportunity to escape would show itself.

"You all right?" I called back to Chekov as I stopped at an open gap in our path.

"Aye, Captain, but we are trapped!" Chekov exclaimed as he looked around for another route.

'Yes, we indeed are.' I thought as I backtracked the way we had come, taking cover behind a broken doorway before carefully peering around the corner only to quickly duck back as a green beam was shot just beside my head. I ducked behind the corner as more shots were fired. 'Nope, not that way.' I ran back toward where Chekov was kneeling and peered over the railing. "Can you get this thing started?"

"Are you intimating that we should _**engage**_ the thrusters?" Chekov asked, animatedly waving his hands as he motioned toward the opening, hoping that he had heard me wrong.

"I am open to other suggestions." I looked back to where our enemies were, hearing the constant firing that wasn't letting up as I blindly returned fire.

"O~okay. Uh…" I heard Chekov tapping away on one of the working consoles nearby. "There's a problem, sir." _**"What?"**_ "The fuel is primed, but I cannot get it to combust." I looked back the way we came and then leaned over the railing that overlooked where the compressor was and I took aim. "Oy, Captain, we are basically standing on a **wery** large bomb. If you miss the combustion compressor-"

"I'm not gonna miss, come on." I harshly and quickly bit back, slightly panicked at knowing full well what would happen if I did indeed miss, but I didn't need to be constantly reminded about the consequences! I could do without the unnecessary pressure. _**"Sir, do you even know what the combustion compressor**_ _ **looks**_ _**like?"**_ Chekov was panicking, and understandably so.

"Oh, it's square, right?" I asked just as I fired my phaser.

"No, sir, it's…" Chekov had given up at the last second the moment I had opened fire at the compressor. "round…"

"That's what I said." I called back as we waited for my shot to hit, fire sparked as I saw the single thruster burst before an inferno erupted to life from the bottom of the pit. "Run!"

As the thrusters engaged, the ship started to tilt upward sending our bodies sliding down, and when we had come to an area we could safely walk upright we continued to run. We needed to get off this ship immediately before it turned completely over.

There was another gap in the ship, a gap that we had to take a step back from due to having been fired at from the level below. Chekov and myself had tried to double back to find another way, but Kalara came rushing from around the corner successfully blocking our path back. She had made an attempt to fire at us, but not before I fired first causing her to recoil and take cover as I motioned for Chekov to jump across. "Go!"

The two of us jumped across the opening, and when I landed on the other side I fired at Kalara just enough to buy us some time to make our way to another area of the ship.

We had no specific direction in mind, yet we had found our way back to the bridge, an area that had no opening or places to escape out of. I had considered going back the way we came until my eyes fell on the glass window that had remained intact during the crash.

"Chekov!" I called for the boy to continue to follow me as I shot at the glass screen, causing a spider like pattern to form. I wanted to completely destroy the barrier, but there was no time for that as Kalara and the two patrol guards had caught up to us, making their way onto the bridge.

In a panic, Chekov and myself ran at the glass, shattering it on impact as we started our 90 degree descent straight down the front of the Enterprise. Kalara and her goons must've followed us out the window as green beams shot past our heads on our way down. I reconfigured my body, turning myself to slide on my stomach as I turned my phaser upward to return fire as the ship continued to lift and flip over.

After a couple seconds of falling, with how much the saucer was tilting, we couldn't slide any longer. Our bodies were thrown and flung off the saucer hitting the ground hard, and before we could relax I looked back to the saucer to see the hulking machine coming straight for us, threatening to flatten us.

"Chekov! Move!" I warned as I reached over to pull the boy back to his feet as the two of us continued to run with all our might to get to a safe distance to avoid being crushed.

We had kept running in hopes of getting as far away as we could, and when the Enterprise had flipped over the force of the impact had caused our bodies to fly. Thankfully we got out of that ordeal with only slight scratches and bruises all over our bodies.

* * *

"How far are we from the coordinates of that call?" I asked Chekov as slow even beeps came from the scanner in his hands, the sun was barely rising as we trekked through the rocky mountain terrain, continuously moving without any rest to put enough distance between us and the wreckage of the Enterprise. The noise along with the flames would have attracted more of Krall's men and we couldn't afford to get caught with how close we were to finding our crew.

"Still a ways, sir." Chekov answered as he closed his scanner, the two of us catching a slight breather as I glanced down to make sure to watch the next steps I took to make sure I wouldn't slip and fall. "Captain?"

"Yeah." I let out a huff in exhaustion as I turned back to Chekov.

"When did you begin to suspect her?" Chekov asked, a question though altered, I continue to ask myself as well. Why had I not suspected her sooner? I couldn't give Chekov a definitive answer as I pushed passed him.

"Not soon enough." I said as I continued to walk forward. If I had, then maybe I could've saved more of my crew.

"How did you know?" Chekov asked.

"Well…" I grunted as I used my hand to assist me in getting down to one of the steeper levels below. "I guess you could say I got a good nose for danger."

Chekov started to laugh at my attempt at a joke, but it seemed like my joke had only jinxed us. Luck had run out and the second I stepped forward I heard the sound of a machine start up, it wasn't the same beep that had come from Chekov's scanner. From all around us large fumes of brown smoke filled the area around us, threatening to consume us.

I glanced down to where I stepped and saw right under my foot a tiny activation pad and I could only shake my head side to side in annoyance. My shoulders slouching at how much of an idiot I was, with good luck comes bad luck I suppose, and I will berate myself later with how careless I had been. "Run!"

We didn't get very far, the second we were caught in this cloud it was already too late for us to escape. When the cloud had hit the air it had us trapped giving us no chance to escape. Whatever this substance was, it had congealed and hardened around us just as we were in the process of jumping out of the trap. We were stuck, forced to wait for whoever these traps belonged to. I had to come to terms that we had been caught by Krall and his men, now I just had to think about a way to escape when they came to free us and take us to their base.

I heard a twig snap close to where we were stuck, and we could only wait until our captures made themselves known.

But it came to a surprise when instead of seeing Krall or any of his goons, I saw a woman with white skin followed closely by Scotty and Khan from behind, the latter seeming to laugh at the predicament we were in.

"Captain?" Scotty's voice squeaked, staring up at us in shock as the unknown woman turned back to my chief engineer.

"You know these men?" The woman asked as I saw Scotty dispose of the rock that was in his hand before crawling his way over to us.

"Aye, lassie." Scotty pointed up to us. "That wee man there is Pavel Chekov." _**"Hello."**_ Chekov attempted to greet. "And that handsome bastard is James T. Kirk. They're my mates."

"Two out of a few hundred." I heard Khan mumble.

"It's good to see you, sir." Scotty smiled back at us in relief before I saw the woman suddenly shove Scotty away, I watched from where I was stuck to see her tinker with whatever that weapon was that she held in her hands.

"What is she doing, Scotty?" I asked as I slightly began to panic. If she was going to hurt us, then I needed Scotty or Khan to stop her. But if she was going to set us free, then I needed them to stop her either way! If we fell from this height we would hit the boulder below us hard! We were mid jump after all, practically suspended in the air!

"Don't hurt them. Because-" I heard Scotty plead to the woman who continued to tinker with her weapon and watched the staff elongate after she had inputted whatever it was into her weapon.

"No, don't!" I started to panic before glaring at the augment that was leaning lazily against the boulder behind him. "Khan, hit her!"

The woman had taken her staff and smashed it against the substance that had trapped us, shattering the brown substance as Chekov and my body were free to fall onto the boulder that was sticking out from the ground below us.

"You're free, James T." The woman commented as I groaned in annoyance, slowly getting up as Scotty had gone over to help Chekov to his feet.

"Mister Scott." I saw Chekov from where I was still splayed out on the ground reach out to hug the man, happy to see some familiar faces, hell I was so happy to see them that I was tempted to go over and give Khan a hug…if I wanted to die afterwards that is.

I used the boulder to hoist myself back to my feet, giving Khan a nod in acknowledgment to which he returned before I glanced at the woman. "Who's your new friend here?" I looked back the way we had come, staring at the remains of whatever that brown substance was. "She sure knows how to throw out a welcome mat."

"This is Jaylah." Scotty introduced our new friend as Chekov, being the brave and innocent boy he was, went over to Khan and smiled up at the augment, just as happy to see him as he was with Scotty.

"I do not know what is a welcome mat." Jaylah stated, and for a second I wanted to comment, thinking that she was joking, but decided to keep my mouth shut when she just stared back at me in all seriousness.

"You find anybody else?" I asked Scotty.

"No, sir. I'm sorry, you're the only ones." Scotty looked at me sadly. "What the hell happened up there, Jim? Why were we attacked?"

"They were after the artifact we brought back from Teenax." I answered as Chekov came running back to join us with Khan following close behind, him and Jaylah sizing each other up as I conversed with Scotty. _**"Did they get it?"**_ "No."

"Have they got it?" Khan asked.

"No." I sighed. "I had to get it off the Enterprise, put it on a shuttle." _**"You hid it in a shuttle."**_ "Yes." Scotty nodded his head, accepting my answer before I hesitated, what I did wasn't quite what I would call hiding it in a shuttle. "And no. Anyway, we cannot stay here, Krall and his men are searching meticulously for that artifact, and they won't stop till they get it. We need to get it before they do. What have we got to work with on relocating our crew?"

"Ah!" Scotty excitedly jumped as he reached over and started to lead me away. "You're not gonna believe what Jaylah found Jim!"

"What did she find?" I asked as I could only follow where Scotty was leading me.

"Better to show you, then to tell." Khan stated as he came up to walk in time with me.

"It's good to see you alive Khan." A small smile tugged at the corner of my lip, and if I turned my head to the side…squinted just a tiny bit? I think I saw the ever stoic man smile back.

"You as well, Kirk." Khan said as he picked up his pace, following wherever this Jaylah was leading us.

* * *

"It's a ship!" I looked around in awe, having climbed up the long ladder and stepping onto a platform just behind Scotty as he motioned around him to what I could only assume was the bridge of the ship.

"This is the USS Franklin, sir. Can you believe it?" Scotty asked as I walked further in. "First Earth ship capable of warp four. Went missing in the Gagarin Radiation Belt in the early 2160s."

"I remember that from the Academy. Captain Balthazar Edison. One of the first heroes of Starfleet." I said as I made my way around the bridge before coming to a stop just in front of the viewscreen that overlooked the whole planet. I was in shock at having found such a piece of our history stranded on this planet. "How the hell did this ship end up here?"

"There's a lot of theories, sir." Scotty said. "Surrendered to the Romulans. Captured by a giant green space hand."

"All superficial theories, logically with this ship being so far out in the galaxy, from the Gagarin Radiation Belt to here, one would suggest a wormhole displacement." Khan walked about the bridge, going over to one of the consoles with Chekov.

"Can she fly?" I asked curiously.

"She's missing a few drive coils and the EPS conduits are fried, but Jaylah has done a marvelous job of getting the ship's systems back online." Scotty commented as he motioned back to where Jaylah was.

"Thank you, Montgomery Scotty." Jaylah took the praise and came over to sit in the captain's chair at the same time as I was going to do, I would've bumped into her if I had not seen what she was planning to do.

"Pardon me." I stared down at Jaylah, expecting her to move and when she didn't I set my attention elsewhere. "Mister Chekov, can you plug in the coordinates. See if you can track the crew's location from the ship's sensors."

"Aye, Captain." Chekov got to work as I heard Scotty mumbling something to Jaylah. _"He likes that seat."_

"Mister Scott." I stared at the man who jumped in surprise at having been caught, attempting to cover up his comment. "Tour."

"Yes, the mess hall." Scotty looked to the woman seated in the captain's chair. "Jaylah, if you will."

"Yes." Jaylah agreed, getting up and off the chair before leading us to the mess hall. However, just before following Jaylah and Scotty I had reached out to pat the captain's chair. Though I was having doubts about being captain, I did indeed like the seat.

The mess hall was quite tiny, you can clearly tell how far our technology had come judging off what I was seeing cluttered around the hall. Learning from the past, building and improving our ships along with its computers and weapons, it was amazing what we had accomplished…to see how far we've truly come. One of the computers in the hall was still functioning, though fizzing out every so often, on the screen there were records of the missing crewmen that was assigned to the USS Franklin.

I reached over to access the ships logs, picking one at random as the video began to play. From what I could see from the recording a celebration was clearly going on as everyone in the video seemed excited about the voyage that they were soon to embark on.

"No clue what happened to the crew, huh?" I asked as I continued to stare at the screen.

"Uh, no, sir. They'd be dead a hundred years by now." Scotty replied and when I turned my head something else had caught my attention, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Is that a…" I walked over to where the beauty was being proudly displayed in the corner of the room. "That's a PX70!" I chuckled in excitement as I walked down the small flight of stairs to where the motorcycle sat. Bending down to get a better look at her, and I couldn't help but wonder if she could still run with how old she would be. "Wow." I muttered in amazement, taking a trip down memory lane to when my mother used tell me stories about the time she spent with my father. "My dad used to have one when he was a kid. My mom said he'd put her on the back of it, drive her nuts."

I smiled, reaching out to brush off the top layer of dust that had accumulated, lost in thought as I pictured my father riding such an amazing machine.

"Sir." Scotty's voice snapped me back to reality, and I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at letting my guard down like that in the presence of our host.

"So you're telling me this thing's been here this whole time and…no one's ever noticed it?" I asked as I saw Jaylah and Scotty share a knowing glance.

"We have to go further up to show you." Scotty smiled, giving Jaylah a nod as she started moving back toward the ladder.

"Go up?" I asked as I followed the two engineers.

"The top of the ship, sir." Scotty smiled as he eagerly began climbing the ladder to follow after Jaylah.

I was taking up the back end, and when Jaylah opened the latch on the top of the ship I had to squint at the sudden brightness coming from the sun after having been so used to the darkness of the inside of the ship. When I had stepped out of the tunnel, I realized why no one would be able to even tell that a ship was here to begin with. "She's rigged up image refractors. Here." Scotty started to point out where all the refractors were located as Jaylah made to move around the top of the ship to do some checks on her equipment.

"So, like some sort of holographic camouflage." I glanced around in awe, seeing the holographic refractor flicker, briefly showing the ship that we were standing upon before going back to being completely hidden. I must admit, this woman was indeed a genius for being trapped on this planet most of her life with no proper lessons.

"Captain!" Chekov's voice called from the tunnel back where we came, his body emerging from the opening as his eyes shone bright with pure excitement. "I have intercepted a weak communication transmission, sir. It's a Starfleet frequency."

That would mean that someone other than us had escaped, or at least they hadn't been taken away by Krall. I rushed back down into the ship with Chekov leading the way, and when we were back on the bridge I saw Khan tinkering away at the station that showed there was indeed a weak transmission that this ship had picked up.

"Can you lock on to the signal?" I asked Khan and Chekov.

"Yes, but how do we get to them?" Chekov asked.

"I have an idea, sir." Scotty volunteered, holding up his hand before pointing directly at me. "But I'm gonna need your permission."

"Why would you need my permission?" I asked in confusion, feeling slightly on edge at such a statement.

"Because if I mess it up, I don't want it to be just my fault." Scotty stated bluntly which was alarming. Was Scotty's plan that dangerous? Now, the question was did I take the chance? Do I risk injuring or killing whoever was attempting to make contact? Or leave them there to survive until we could physical get to them.

I looked back to Scotty who was waiting patiently for my response. I hope I wasn't going to regret this. "Uh…permission granted…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is experiencing their own 'adventure', their own struggle until they slowly come together and become a bomb ass team once more! I think I kind of like this compared to flashing back and forth on different perspectives. What do you think? Also, I'm sorry if I wasn't that descriptive when showing the moving scenes, I found I lack in that area a lot lol, but I hope the scenes were still recognizable!


	34. A Friendship Built on Banter and Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a long AN that comes from absolute respect and love. Tomorrow (February 27) is the anniversary of the passing of the wonderful Leonard Nimoy, and I can't help but be sad when the day comes around. He will always live on in the memory of fans, never forgotten and greatly missed. He truly Lived Long and Prospered. *hearts*

Whatever this ship was called, let it be known that I absolutely HATE this monstrosity. I liked being on a ship with no windows, wanting to stay far away from seeing the vast darkness of space, hence why I felt more comfortable working in my medbay, but in this tiny dart-like ship? Everywhere I looked all I could see was the stars and the endless darkness that stretched on for eternity! Not to mention momentarily the ship had opened and we almost got sucked out into the black darkness that held no oxygen! Exposed, though briefly, to the outside air (or lack thereof). This was more action then I cared for, I've had enough to last me the rest of my life thank you very much.

On top of being a big ball of anxiety from being exposed to the unknown, I had no idea how to fly this stupid contraption and we had a very unpleasant landing the second we breached the planet's atmosphere. I'm a doctor, dammit, not a pilot!

I groaned as I crawled my way up to the opening of the ship, using the outside edges for support as I pulled myself out of this metal contraption. I could feel something wet drip down my cheek, and when I reached up to see what it was my hand came back red…great. Just perfect. It seemed, aside from the cut on my temple, everything else on my body was functioning just fine with only slight bruising from banging around the sides of the metal walls that kept us safe. All I had to do was get over the heart attack I just experienced after the messy landing.

I took a deep intake of air, thankful that I could actually breathe, before realizing that we were at the bottom of some type of ravine.

"I can't believe it." I mumbled as I hoisted myself up, hearing the metal groan under my weight, as I hopped out and splashed into the small stream of water. I truly couldn't believe we survived that.

Following behind, I heard Spock let out a groan in pain, and when I turned to see what was bothering the Vulcan I was alarmed when I saw something protruding out of his side the second he twisted his body to carefully attempt to get out of the ship.

"My God, Spock." The Doctor in me jumped into action as I reached over to assist him in getting out of the ship without causing more damage to his wound. He couldn't even stand on his own two feet the second it had touched solid ground which was concerning. I flung his arm over my shoulder and had him lean his body against mine as I led him over to the front of the ship. "God…sit down over here." I carefully placed his body down, hearing him groan at being slightly jostled to the side. "Okay. Okay, sit. Easy. Easy." I kept muttering as Spock eased himself down, deliberately taking slow and even breathes as he worked through the pain. And when his body was laying completely on the top half of the ship I could finally get a good look at the damage that was done. "Okay. Now, just uh…try and relax. You're gonna be okay."

"The forced optimism in your voice suggests that you're trying to elicit a sense of calm in order to..." God, even when in excruciating pain he can still attempt to grate on my every nerve when all I'm trying to do is help him. _**"Okay, I'll cut the horseshit."**_ "Doctor, I fail to see how excrement of any kind bears relevance on our current situation." Spock had reached out to grab my shoulder for leverage, putting immense strain on his body to get back to his feet, and at the sudden movement I started to panic at the painful grunts he was letting out.

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing?" I protested as I placed my hand on his chest to force him back down.

"We must keep moving, Doctor." Spock protested my protest, stubborn ass Vulcan! Keep going like this and you'll kill yourself!

"Spock, this thing's punctured your iliac region!" I tried to make him see reason, I needed to get his wound under control or he could very well die!

"Time is a critical factor." Spock tried to argue, but the strength I could see was quickly leaving him as his wound was too great, causing him to lean back onto the ship with another groan.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you." I evened out my voice as I pointed down to his wound and gave him the only options we had. "Look, if I can't take this out, you're gonna die. Okay? If I take it out and can't stop the bleeding, you're gonna die."

"I can see no appeal in either option." Spock's voice, though he attempted to continue being stubborn and strong, wobbled after finally understanding the severity of the situation he was in.

"Believe it or not, neither can I." I whispered as I took a glance around to make sure that there weren't any more of those ships flying on patrol as well as to see if there was anything I could use to seal up his wound. I moved closer to the ship and started pushing through some of the pieces of debris scattered in the water that had fallen during impact. "So, if I remember correctly, the Vulcans have their hearts where humans have their livers." I found something, whatever this was, I mean…it looked like something I could use? A weapon perhaps to heat something up? Looked like one, I could only hope it doesn't do anything more than just a single ray of light.

"That is correct, Doctor." Spock winced as I saw him continue his even breathing. Gotta hand it to the man, professional till the very end. Something besides Spock's comment caught my attention as I reached into the ship and tried to wrench it free.

"That explains a thing or two." I said as I continued to yank the object free, placing the weapon to my side to free up both hands as I took a glance once again at Spock's injury. "You know, you're lucky. An inch to the left…" A couple of good, hard tugs, later and I finally got the blasted thing free. Though I had almost fallen ass first into the water. I reached over to one of the objects that flew out, a sharp pointed end metal rod as I observed. "and you'd be dead already." I took the two objects and made my way back to my patient. "God, I just don't get it, Spock. I mean, what did they attack us for?" I reached for a random large rock that I could easily grip in one hand and started bashing the tip of the weapon that resembled a gun. "I mean, they do all this for some doodad that the tiny critters didn't want?"

"It is unwise to trivialize that which one simply does not understand, Doctor." I heard Spock take a deep breath. "We can safely assume it is more important than a doodad." My phrase of the object is what bothered him?

"I think you just managed to insult me twice, Spock." I looked over my work, satisfied that I was able to make the tip thin enough so that the output of the laser could heat up the tip of the metal rod I had pulled apart from the ship. I placed the tip down onto a rock, activating the weapon as I saw the tip of the rod glow bright red, sizzling and smoking up, and now came the difficult part.

"Okay." I said as I went over to Spock's body. "All right, Spock, I just got one question." I furrowed my brows in concentration before shrugging as I tried to come up with a completely random question to catch the logical Vulcan off guard. I could only think of one thing. "What's your favorite color?"

"I fail to see the relevance-" Spock started to speak.

'Sorry Spock,' I thought as I yanked the offending object that was protruding out of Spock's wound free and held the heated metal against his open wound, hearing the sizzle of metal against skin, the heated metal doing its job to cauterize the wound. A bit primitive for my taste, considering I would've wanted to tackle the internal damage before sealing the wound, but at the moment I didn't have such essential necessities on hand.

Spock yelled out in anguish, a scream that echoed and bounced off the walls of the gorge. I waited for a couple of seconds to pass before I pulled the metal away. 'It would have to do…for now.'

"Yeah. They say it hurts less if it's a surprise." I said, reciting what medical school had taught me as I tossed the object that used to be jutting out of Spock's wound over my shoulder.

"If I may adopt a parlance with which you are familiar," Spock started to speak, a bit irritable from the sound of his voice as I looked over his wounds once more. The cauterization will have to do for now until I can get back to equipment I was familiar with so that I can better treat his condition. "I can confirm your theory to be...horseshit."

I couldn't help but smirk, Spock using my slang? And swearing no less? This I will have to tell Ally when I see her.

'Ally,' I thought with worry, wondering and hoping that she got off the ship alive just as we had. I heard the sound of a ship hovering in the distance, getting closer from the sound of it. Spock's scream may have attracted them to our location, and if they heard it then I could only assume that they would come investigate the location where the sound had come from. If we stayed here…they would find us guaranteed. "We gotta get outa here." I reached over and gently wound my arm around Spock's midsection as I slung his arm over my neck, supporting him as he slowly with difficulty got to his feet. "Come on."

'We needed to keep moving,' I thought as we followed the stream, going in the opposite direction from where I could guess where the ships were coming from. And as I concentrated on moving both my feet, keeping both myself and Spock moving, my mind would wander to my Mate. I could only hold on to the hope that Ally was alive, the feeling that Khan and myself had experienced at her passing three years ago hadn't hit me. A good indication that she could very well be alive and kicking. 'we'll find you Ally, just you wait.'

* * *

"McCoy to Enterprise. Come in." I continued with my attempt to get in touch with the ship, or any of our crew that would be calling on all frequencies as directive states. My hope dwindled as I kept getting no response back, but I had to keep trying…for both our sake. "McCoy to Enterprise." I was secretly hoping as well that I would hear Ally's voice come through my communicator, informing me where they were as well as attempting to reunite with us. I could only sigh as I gave up attempting to make contact with our crew and deciding to concentrate more on Spock's condition. When I turned back around I saw that Spock was forcing himself to continue forward while supporting his wound. I rushed to catch up with the wounded man just as I saw him duck into a cave like structure. "Hey, take it easy there, Spock. That was just a temporary fix back there."

"I understand, Doctor." Spock's voice echoed, and when we came out from the other side of the tunnel it seemed like we had come across another entrance that led further into the rock face as little critters started flying out from inside the cave. "Fascinating."

"Ominous. Dark. Dangerous." I pointed out with a shake of my head, not seeing at all the 'fascination' that Spock held toward the entrance as we both shared a look before Spock continued forward. "We're going in…"

Of course we are!

Over the rocky structure we entered what I could only assume was a cave, but something seemed off about this area we found ourselves in. Though this was supposed to be a cave, inside it didn't seem that way. It looked more machine-like as my boots clacked against metal, there were pockets of light shining in through holes that were evenly spaced out from above and through the slits in the walls. This place was too dark for my liking.

"Intriguing. These symbols are the same as those depicted on the artifact taken in the attack." Spock studied the symbols on the ceiling above us.

"You think it came from here?" I asked as I attempted to have a look around, almost tripping as the tip of my foot got caught on one of the grate like slits in the ground.

"It would seem so." Spock said before his body crumbled to the ground just as he let out a yelp in pain.

"Damn it, Spock." I scolded as I raced over to his side, helping to move him onto his back as I lifted his shirt to check and make sure he hadn't opened his wound with how much stress he was putting his body through. "Easy. Easy."

Due to the severity of his wound, and the excruciating pain he was in, Spock had gone unconscious the second his body hit the ground. 'Stubborn, green blooded, Vulcan!' I growled as I carefully took his body and slowly moved him over to the side of the wall as I continued to monitor his wound.

When he had regained consciousness I knew I needed him to stay awake so I struck up small conversations here and there, I was afraid that he would die in my care and I was not going to let that happen. Spock, and I would never say this out loud, was a great friend and an even greater First Officer. Reliable, and the only one capable enough to get us out of this mess with that large, logical brain of his. Not to mention how close Ally is to him and Nyota, though they were on this temporary break, was his Mate. The pain I had felt momentarily when Ally had died, I would not want Nyota to feel it.

Though as we spoke through the night when the sun was barely on the rise I had suddenly noticed that he had failed to respond after a few snide comments I made about him and Nyota. I turned to my right and noticed that he had suddenly closed his eyes and I started to panic. I had feared right then and there that he had succumbed to his wounds if it wasn't for the slow movement of his chest rising and falling.

"Spock." I called out, my body on high alert, and my thoughts running a mile a minute as I placed my hands on either side of his face, moving his head slightly from side to side. "Spock, wake up, damn it!"

When Spock's eyes opened, finally, he had given me a strange look before reaching out to take my hands off his face.

"I am entirely conscious, Doctor." Spock pointed out. "I'm simply contemplating the nature of mortality."

"Feeling philosophical, huh?" I shook my head as I let out an exasperated sigh, easing my way back to the area I had previously occupied before the fright Spock had given me. I sat back down and dusted off my hands against my pants as I stared out across the room. "Massive blood loss will do that to you."

"You asked me why Lieutenant Uhura and I parted ways." That's what he decides to bring up? Something I had asked back in Yorktown? I wasn't going to question his reasoning though, if he wanted to get something off his chest then I was just going to allow him to speak his mind while I remained silent. I think that's what Ally said she would do in this type of situation. "I became concerned, in the light of Vulcan's demise, that I owed a debt of duty to my species."

"You thought you should be off making little Vulcans, huh?" I concluded, taking a sharp intake of air knowing full well without needing to be there the storm that had kicked up after _**that**_ conversation. "Yeah, I can see how that had upset her."

"I had been given advice by Commander DeLuca, to be honest no matter the outcome. I knew how Lieutenant Uhura would react, as did she, and as Mates I knew honesty was the best option." Spock said that caused my brow to lift, I had no idea that he had confided such a concern to Ally before consulting Nyota. "And I intended to discuss it with her further, but I received some news which affected me unexpectedly."

I fully intended to listen to Spock's concerns in silence, that prospect being quite difficult with the little comments I was making, but this had caught my attention. "What news?"

"Ambassador Spock has died." Spock's voice quivered, and I didn't know what to say to that for even I was caught off guard by the sudden news.

"Oh." I shook my head as I thought over my next words, what could one really truly say besides the obvious? "Spock, I'm so sorry. I-I can't imagine what that must feel like."

"When you've lived as many lives as he," Spock's voice broke, the wobble getting stronger and for the first time I saw the guard…that wall he always put up shatter. "fear of death is illogical."

"Fear of death is what keeps us alive." I assured Spock that there was nothing wrong with said fear. "Does Allyson…?"

"No," Spock shook his head. "I do not think she was given the news."

"I caught her a few times speaking to Ambassador Spock, though most of the time it was more like she was listening intently to his story, hanging on every word he spoke. Her face lit up like a child on Christmas Day whenever he would call and tell her more stories of his adventures." I thought back to the times I had caught the elder Vulcan on her screen after I had clocked out for the day. I was curious what he had gone through to go from the man seated beside me, to the man that was speaking to my Mate. 'It'll break her heart when she hears about Ambassador Spock…'

"I want to live as he did." Spock nodded his head. "That is why I decided to redirect my efforts and continue his work on New Vulcan."

Another shock, I wasn't even sure I had heard the man correctly as I leaned forward and reiterated what I had hoped wasn't the truth. "You're leaving Starfleet?" Spock had turned his head away from me, no longer able to look me in the eyes, and I thought about our common friend, curious to how such a news would've affected him and how he took it. "What did Jim have to say about that?"

"I could not find the time to tell him." Spock confessed, his voice now a whisper as his shoulders sagged.

"Well, I can tell you he's not gonna like that." I stated, knowing full well that is exactly how Jim would react.

"Commander DeLuca did not express her disagreement, but I could tell the more she spoke with me that she was displeased with knowing that I was planning to leave." Spock continued.

'Allyson,' I shook my head. "Of course she wouldn't express what she feels, knowing Ally, she would've wanted to support whatever choice you feel is right for you even if she personally disagrees. I can tell you this, Spock. With you being her first, true, friend since leaving her family? She was upset no matter what front she tried to put up."

"Commander DeLuca had indeed offered her support, but I had not…could not give her an answer to my decision." Spock said with a sigh. "I'm finding it…difficult to deliver such news."

"It's difficult, because you're fighting between logic and heart." I stated honestly. "Ally, will carry on with her duties, putting up a front so no one would worry because it's what she was taught to do. Jim? Well, I honestly don't know what he'd do without you." I shrugged my shoulders. "I mean, you know, me on the other hand I'd-I'd throw a party, but…" I was joking, obviously, we'd have our many disagreements but that didn't mean I didn't like the guy or wished him to leave.

Spock, to my relief, took my joke as simply that. A joke. As I heard him let out a scoff before a soft chuckle came from under his breath causing me to join in. But I only started to grow concerned when his chuckle erupted into a full out laugh. An uncharacteristic trait that I've never seen him do and that reaction made me uncomfortable as I leaned forward to stare at my First Officer as if he had lost his mind. "My God, you're getting delirious."

* * *

"McCoy and Spock to Enterprise crew. Come in, Enterprise crew." I attempted to make contact once more. "Anyone." When I had gotten no response yet again, I sighed and pocketed my communicator into the back of my pants before going back over to where Spock was leaning on a rock for support. "Come on, Spock." I grunted as I hauled his ass back to his feet. "Come on, you can make it."

We had gotten out of that cave, needing to keep moving in fear that we would soon be found if we stayed in one place for so long, and I had feared that if we dawdled any longer Spock's condition could worsen.

"Leaving me behind will significantly increase your chance for survival, Doctor." Spock had been arguing with me most of the time the second we had left the safety of that cave, and I was having none of it.

"Well, that's damn chivalrous of you," I shot his suggestion down, I wasn't going to leave his ass behind due to my duty as his friend and doctor. As well as keeping in mind how it would affect Nyota and Ally if I indeed left Spock behind. "but completely out of the question."

"It is imperative that you locate any surviving crew." Spock said as he stumbled a bit over some of the pebbles and rocks beneath our feet.

"Here I was thinking you cared." I shook my head before continuing to argue with Spock. "For your information, I have located a surviving member, and if we come across more then I will treat them so that we can continue to search for more of our crew."

The two of us stopped moving forward when something in the distance in the sky caught our attention. Three dots as well as the sound of the ship's engines were getting closer to our location from around the bend and I huffed. We were found.

"Of course I care, Leonard." Spock said as we watched the approaching ships, catching me off guard because for the first time he used my first name instead of calling me 'Doctor' or 'Doctor McCoy'. I watched as the ships grew closer, letting out another sigh. "I always assumed my respect for you was clear." I looked to Spock as he turned to look back at me, our final moments were upon us and he decided to drop such a confession on me? Full of surprises this man was on our short time on Altamid, though it could also be due to blood loss that he's deciding to suddenly be so open. "The dialogue we have had across the years has always-"

"It's okay, Spock." It also reminded me how patients close to death would confess their final thoughts, so that when they died…they'd die with no regrets. I didn't want him to finish, I wanted to keep on hoping that we could get out of here alive. "You don't have to say it." I turned back the way we came to see another ship had blocked our path and I could only shake my head. 'Sorry, Allyson…' I suppose I needed to come to terms with it now. We all have to go some time. "Well, at least I won't die alone."

I suddenly heard a familiar sound tickle my ears, the sound of something materializing…or dematerializing in this case for when I turned around Spock was no longer standing beside me. The three ships had lowered into the gorge, their weapons trained on me and I gritted my teeth in irritation. "Well, that's just typical."

I glared up at the ships that surrounded me, steeling myself as I held up my fists in defense. If this was my time to go then I'd go out kicking and screaming! "Come on, you bastards!"

Compared to our own transporter that was overall painless and instant, this time I felt my whole body being pulled apart. My molecules and atoms scattering about before I found myself on a different ship instead of facing a bunch of large weapons glaring down on me.

'I think I'm going to be sick…' I gasped as I turned back around and did a check over my body, making sure all my limbs were intact. That sure was a trippy. "Oh."

"Good to see you in one piece, Doctor." Scotty came into view, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Oh, am I?" I asked as I looked down at my hands. "I feel like my innards have been to a barn dance!"

"Aye, well, these old transporters were only ever used for cargo, but a few modifications seem to do the trick." Scotty reached for my shoulder to lead me off the transporter pad, this ship looked extremely old and quite frankly too unstable for my liking. "I thought it best to beam you one at a time, though. You know, in case you got spliced." Scotty made the motion of two objects compressing together and that **did not** make me feel any better about what just happened a few seconds ago!

"I couldn't imagine a worse scenario." I commented as I shook off the uneasy, queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach and went over to where Spock was doubled over.

"Good to have you back. You all right?" Jim was smiling, seeming happy to see us both as I brushed away his concern for me with a flick of my hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded toward Spock. "He's hurt."

"I am functioning adequately, Captain." Spock, stubborn through and through, denied.

"In a pig's eye, you are!" I argued.

"Captain, we discovered that the stolen artifact appears to have come from this pla-" Spock let out a groan before his legs gave out from under him once again. Thankfully, Jim and myself were close by to catch him before he tumbled to the ground and inflicted any more damage to his body.

"Damn it, Spock." I growled before looking back to the group that had gathered on our arrival. "Are there any medical supplies on this thing?"

"This way." A woman responded as she nodded for us to follow. I had no idea who this newcomer was, and I couldn't care less. For now my only concern was getting Spock properly looked at and treated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never planned it this way it just sorta...happened. Nimoy's passing was one of those news that I couldn't help but cry instantly when I read the news (I only had this happen one other time when it came to the passing of a celebrity). I was late getting into the fandom, but I was able to watch TOS while he was still alive. To be able to appreciate his acting, along with the wonderful creation and character he brought to life. I really wish I could've gotten the chance to meet him.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are enjoying this story or looking forward to more chapters then leave a nice little comment and kudos just to let me know. But you don't have to if you don't want to, though it's greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone once again for reading and I hope you're all staying safe out there! Sending lots of love and aloha your way!  
> -SO


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